Pilot
by xxUchihacest
Summary: Naru/Sasu. AU. Naruto's family is cursed. He must find love before it forces him to waste away in loneliness. Unfortunately, nothing is ever that easy.
1. Curse of Uzumaki

**Pilot**

A/N: I think I've started taking a liking to this couple as the manga progressed and as I started to watch old episodes of the anime. The relationship between these two is undeniable. Fear not, Uchihacest is still my OTP

_Curse of the Uzumaki_

* * *

><p>Naruto sighed as he stared at the paper calendar hanging over his desk. Although there was a picture of a beautiful sunset taken from a tropical island on the preceding page, the red circle around today's date filled him with dread. Since he had hit puberty ten years ago, every full moon he would turn into a small orange fox, a gift his mother had imparted him through her genes.<p>

The Uzumaki was an ancient family of Japan. His mother, Uzumaki Kushina, had told him that long ago, a jealous and vengeful lover of one of their ancestors had cast a curse on their family. Every individual with any traces of Uzumaki blood would turn into a creature every full moon until they found someone who could accept them for who they were. Kushina had explained to him that the transformations were very painful physically, but what hurt more was the loneliness. The emotional aspects of the curse nearly made it impossible for an Uzumaki to survive on his or her own. It called for a union that would last forever. And if they didn't find anyone by 35 years of age, then they'd waste away.

Naruto had been looking for a cure for this condition since then. However, there weren't any texts related to the subject of their family except for several political ones. Kushina had never heard of one in existence, but Naruto was sure that there had to be something….

His alarm rang loudly, pulling him out of his thoughts. He had woken up earlier than usual because he couldn't sleep at all last night. It was probably because he knew that the full moon was approaching. He turned off the device and headed for the shower.

* * *

><p><em>"Are you going to come home tonight, Naru-chan? I've already prepared everything."<em>

"Yeah, thanks mom," Naruto said, trying to juggle his phone between his cheek and shoulder as he moved through the busy hallway. His laptop bag teetered on the edge of his shoulder as he tried to balance the large textbooks in his hands. He should have just checked them out from the library later.

_"How's your first day so far? Made any friends?"_

"No not yet. My first class was awesome, although I think –"

Someone bumped into him from behind and his books fell to the ground. He tried to catch his laptop bag from falling, but his phone dropped instead.

"Moron." The guy who had bumped into Naruto didn't even look at him as he muttered that one word and kept going. Naruto glared at the person's back, memorizing the blue black spiky hair and grey suit. A scent of spice with a hint of musk assaulted him then slowly faded. What the hell was it? He sniffed at the air, trying to find it again, but then he could a whiff of strong perfume, making him sneeze. A girl giggled beside him.

"Hey, need some help?"

Naruto looked over and wondered how long he'd been on the floor.

"Oh no! My phone!" He picked up the small device and saw that it was unharmed, but it had shut off. He turned it back on again and sighed in relief when he saw that everything was working just fine. He'd have to text his mom to apologize. He was becoming late for his next class.

"Thanks a lot," Naruto said, smiling as he gathered his notes that had flown out. "I really appreciate it. Some asshole bumped into me and didn't even apologize. I'm Namikaze Naruto."

"Yeah, I thought you looked familiar. You're the son of the District Attorney here, aren't you?" The girl had long black hair and kind, lilac hued eyes. She seemed really sweet. Naruto wouldn't mind if she was his soul mate. He laughed nervously, standing with his books in his hand.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"My dad talks about him all the time," she replied, holding one of his books. "He's a mobster." Naruto paled, and her smiling face became worried and she quickly added, "No! No! I'm just kidding! My name is Hyuuga Hinata. My dad owns Hyuuga Law. We're not out to get your dad or anything. We think he's great guy. I'm sure your dad has met mine at some point I mean –"

Naruto started smiling at her increasingly flustered expressions and started laughing. "It's ok. I knew you were joking," he said reassuringly. "We joke about the same thing in my family. I've heard of that firm before. Really prominent."

Hinata nodded but blushed, her gaze turning downward shyly. "R-right. Sorry for being spastic."

"Don't worry. It happens to me all the time. Where are you headed? I'm – I'm late!" He twisted his arm, trying to find his watch. He was already 10 minutes late? He looked around and saw that the hallway had cleared significantly. "I'm so sorry, Hinata. But I gotta go!" He started jogging ahead, forgetting that she still had one of his books. "We'll talk later! It was nice meeting you!"

"Bye, Naruto!" She called after him.

Naruto tried to calm himself down before entering the lecture hall. This was a private university so the class sizes weren't that big, but this was his first day, and he knew he'd stand out if he was late. Also, because his dad was already so famous, he'd be recognized instantly. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open not realizing how heavy it was. He tried to catch it from slamming shut but caused more of a ruckus than if he would have left it alone. The sound echoed loudly in the hall. He could feel the stares on him even before he turned around.

"I'm really sorry," he said, moving slowly up the stairs to a seat in the back.

"Ah yes, Namikaze Naruto, I presume?" asked the professor, a middle aged man with light blonde hair. Naruto read the name 'Hatake Kakashi' on the board behind him. He nodded, sitting slowly. "Well, hopefully this will be the first and last time you're late."

Naruto nodded again, relaxing once the professor started talking about something else entirely and not staring at him as he did so. He took his laptop out and turned in on and peered around the room. He caught sight of blue black hair at the front row on the other side of the room and scowled. That was the bastard that had run into him!

Once lecture was over, Naruto quickly packed his things so that he could confront the guy who had hit him. That asshole had quite the nerve. Sure, he looked sharp and intelligent in that suit but his face was probably just as ugly as his personality. Naruto couldn't wait to tell him off.

He was five steps away from the level flooring when he caught that scent again, the one he had smelt earlier. It was stronger this time, almost as if it were concentrated nearby. He sniffed at the air again without paying attention to where his feet were taking him. He missed a step and nearly took a tumble if the professor hadn't acted quickly and saved him.

"I didn't know Namikaze's son was such a klutz," the professor, Hatake Kakashi, murmured. Naruto quickly righted himself.

"I'm sorry. I can be a real idiot sometimes," Naruto said sheepishly, bowing.

"Hn, that's for sure."

Naruto straightened and glared in the direction of the voice but his rising anger quickly died. This mysterious scent, he realized, was coming from the asshole who had bumped into him earlier! Not only that, but he was incredibly attractive, nothing like Naruto had expected. He was slightly taller than himself, with pale, milky skin and aristocratic facial features. Dark hair framed darker eyes hooded by thick lashes. Naruto cleared his throat and shook his head, but his mind felt cloudy and the scent was distracting him from everything else.

"He'll probably need your guidance, then," Kakashi said, chuckling, "so I should introduce you to each other. Naruto, this is Sasuke. He's here for who knows what reason."

Naruto looked at them questioningly, wondering what kind of relationship they had if the professor was being so casual about him. He looked at Sasuke. "Are you wearing any cologne? Its making my allergies act up." It wasn't really true, but Naruto didn't know what else to say. Its not like Sasuke smelled bad, in fact, it was quite the opposite. Maybe if Naruto put the same cologne on himself, then more girls would approach him and he'd quickly find his mate.

Sasuke frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Kakashi sniffed towards Sasuke curiously, causing the dark hair man to inch away. "Mm, I don't smell anything, Naruto."

"Are you sure? It's really strange."

"Whatever. I'm not dealing with this. I have a case to review." With that Sasuke stormed off, his scent rushing towards Naruto as he passed him. Naruto was about to follow after it before Kakashi stopped him.

"You should visit my office sometime, Naruto," he said. "I'd like to talk to you outside of class." His smile was disarming, and Naruto nodded.

"Sure, Professor! I'll see you later!" He quickly left, trying to follow the faint trace of Sasuke.

Naruto searched for about 15 minutes before giving up and went to his third class, which went by rather uneventfully. Although he was excited about law school and following in his father's footsteps, he really wanted to find Sasuke again. He wasn't sure why he'd like to get to know a bastard like that better. It didn't make much sense. His mind was probably out of whack because it was a full moon.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Naruto!" a voice called to him as he was walking to his car. He turned and saw Hinata rushing towards him. He stopped and waited for her.<p>

"Hi, Hinata," he said cheerfully. She waved a book in front of him.

"You forgot this, remember?"

"Oh, right! Thanks."

"Are you going home now?" Naruto nodded. "Alright. I'll follow you to your car."

They walked slowly, mostly talking about Naruto's first day of class. She was a third year, studying corporate law under her father's orders. Naruto found that she was really easy to talk to, and it warmed him to know he'd made a new friend on his first day. Although she wasn't in any of his classes, she offered to help and give him her notes.

"I really couldn't, Hinata," he said regarding her notes from all her previous classes. "It wouldn't be fair."

"It's alright. Everyone studies in groups anyway."

"I know, but I'm really determined to do this on my own. My dad's family wasn't that well off, and he paid his way through and everything. He worked really hard, and I want to do that too."

She smiled at him and helped him unload his books into his trunk. He drove a 10 year old Honda, but it was still reliable and he'd bought it used with his own money from working in high school. "I see. But it's also good to accept help when it's offered," she said. "Well, if you need anything, just let me know."

"Thanks. I'm really glad I met you." The blush that rose to her face made all the trouble he'd gone through that day disappear, however, he still couldn't forget that scent nor the bastard to whom it belonged. "Do you know some guy named Sasuke?"

Hinata laughed. "Oh you met him face to face? He's Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto nearly choked on his own spit and started coughing. Hinata panicked and patted him on the back. "Wh-what?"

"Yeah, his family's really famous. His older brother, Itachi, came here, too. He's a lot nicer though," she added shyly. Yeah, Naruto knew about Itachi. He thought Sasuke looked familiar, but didn't think they were related. Now that he thought about it, he could see the strong resemblance.

The Uchiha were an extremely wealthy family and were almost as old as his mother's, if not older. His dad mentioned problems he had had with trying to indict most of their clients. Although Minato hardly lost any cases he took, the Uchiha managed to trump him every time. Their firm charged obscenely high rates but also had an extremely high success rate. Minato had always wanted to investigate them, but there was no known evidence of foul play, and his wife constantly feared for what might happen if he did.

"Uchiha Fugaku let that one crime lord go free, Orochimaru," Naruto muttered. He remembered what a media fiasco that had been several years back. The trial had lasted for several months and yet he'd been cleared of all charges. Naruto was sure that the scumbag was still illegally experimenting on and killing people he'd pick up from poor neighborhoods. The memory of the trial and his father's frustration came back to him, and he decided that he already hated Uchiha Sasuke, who was probably going to defend men like Orochimaru.

"Yeah," Hinata murmured. "Anyway, I heard Sasuke is working with Kakashi's small firm now." Naruto's anger suddenly turned into shock. "His family doesn't approve of it, of course, but I guess since Itachi is going to take over, Sasuke has more freedom to do what he wants." She sighed wistfully, a sad look flickering in her eyes then disappearing as quickly as it had come. She smiled brightly once more. "Do you have class tomorrow?"

"Just a couple," he said, still reeling over the fact that Sasuke was taking a different path he'd expected, and upset with himself for judging too soon. Also, the look Hinata had given him just now unsettled him. Was she being forced into law by her family?

"I only have one, so we can hang out. Let's trade numbers."

Naruto drove straight to his parents' place right after leaving Hinata in the parking lot. They lived two hours away, which was nice and not as stifling as he thought it'd be. Some of his stuff had been left at home because he visited them every month for his transformation. Although he wanted to try dealing with it on his own, his mother had insisted that he be someplace that was familiar and made him feel safe. His undergraduate college had been only an hour away, so even then he was going home in times of the full moon.

He arrived just in time for dinner. Although his dad was busy most of the time, he hardly ever missed a meal, and only did so for emergencies. Eating and sharing stories with his family always made him forget about his terrible curse. His only wish was for a mate to love him like his dad loved his mom. It was obvious that she and Minato were made for each other.

"Hey mom, something happened earlier today," he said as they were sitting in his room after dinner. He still had a few more minutes till he would transform. Although Kushina didn't have to be there with him, she always was. When he'd fully transform into a large, orange fox, she'd open the door and let him wander around their large home and secluded backyard. He wasn't allowed to leave their property, nor did he want to. Although he was conscious during his transformations and didn't want to kill anyone, his urge to find a mate would be strongest, and he'd travel anywhere hoping to find that person.

"What?" she asked, her voice slightly rose with worry.

"Oh, it's not bad. Well, I don't think it is, but I think there's something wrong with the sense of smell."

"Like what?" she asked curiously. Naruto picked at his quilt on his bed.

"It seems more sensitive? It's never happened before. It was just really strange."

"Hmm," Kushina tapped her chin thoughtfully, but her eyes seemed hopeful. "Well," she said rather nonchalantly, "what did you smell?"

"Not sure. Like cinnamon, but not really. Maybe a hint of maple too, something sweet, and this other, really odd scent. I can't place it."

"I'm not quite sure, kit, but you know what I always say: your nose will never lead you astray." She giggled and tapped him on the nose. Naruto wanted to say something, but then his body suddenly felt like it was on fire, and the only thing he could think about was that scent and the horrible pain that accompanied loneliness.

The next day, he and Hinata had lunch at the cafeteria. Like himself, she brought lunch to school, but hers was made by gourmet chefs. Naruto preferred his instant ramen bowls.

"Is that good?" she asked curiously as they waited patiently for the three minutes for the ramen to cook. Naruto gasped.

"You mean you've never had this before?"

She blushed. "N-no. My chef has been in my family for as long as I can remember…. My father makes sure my sister and I eat certain foods."

"Hmm? So he controls your diet too? That's no way to live. Here!" He finally ripped off the cover and mixed its contents before he pushed the bowl towards her. "You've had ramen before, right? So just eat it like that. It's my favorite flavor, pork." He picked up some noodles with his chopsticks and held it up for her. Blushing harder, she leaned forward and took a small bite. Naruto watched her expressions excitedly.

"I-it's not bad at all," she said after she swallowed, stuttering from embarrassment. Naruto hardly noticed as he took back his ramen and started eating.

"Ithn't it awethome?" he said through a mouthful of ramen. "Tho good!"

"You talk with you mouth full as well?"

Naruto nearly choked on his mouthful and spent a whole minute coughing his lungs out. What surprised him the most was that even though he'd already experienced the full moon, he could still smell that strange, mysterious scent! Seriously, what kind of cologne did Sasuke use? He could even smell it over the scent of his ramen and other aromatic foods in the cafeteria.

"Don't sneak up on us like that!" Naruto shouted, upset that he'd embarrassed himself in front of Hinata for the tenth time. "What do you want, anyway?"

"Kakashi would like to see you if you have time. That is all."

"He could've just sent me an email…."

Sasuke stared at him a minute longer then walked away as quietly as he'd come. Naruto pouted when he saw that several hot girls were watching him and giggling as he walked past them. What did that bastard have that he didn't?

"You know Hatake-sensei personally?" Hinata asked him.

"No, I don't." Naruto finished his ramen quickly and sighed in contentment. "We should do this again. Same time next week?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, definitely."

* * *

><p>Naruto didn't expect to see Sasuke in Kakashi's office as well. He was in another room with several people going over some documents, but Naruto could still smell him even though they were twenty feet away. Maybe it was because Sasuke was there so often that his scent was on everything. Kakashi closed the door leading to the other room and the scent's intensity abated. Naruto sighed in relief.<p>

"How are you doing so far, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, sitting in a chair across from his. Naruto paused from studying his surroundings. Books were lined across the walls and there were some pictures as well.

"Awesome. How about you, Hatake-sensei?"

"You can call me Kakashi. I'm well. Busy, but I can't complain. I suppose you're wondering why you're in here." Naruto nodded. Kakashi stood and walked over to a particular picture hanging on the wall. It was a small 5 by 7 frame, and he took it down and brought it to Naruto. Naruto took the picture and looked at it. His dad was there, standing next to a woman and what looked like a little Kakashi.

"That was taken almost 20 years ago," Kakashi said softly. "Your dad was a lawyer working pro bono for the city. He took our case when no one else would, not even other pro bono lawyers. We couldn't afford anyone at the time."

"What happened?" Naruto asked, intrigued.

"My father had been murdered. He was a cop and was close to arresting the ring leaders of some drug dealing when he was discovered and killed. His partner had betrayed him because he was caught up in that whole mess. Detectives were dirty back then, as were most of the city officials. Your dad was like a savior in those times, and he quickly became the ADA. I know a lot of people hate him, but he's a great man, and I'll be grateful to him forever. He inspired me to become a lawyer and also teach prospective lawyers morality and ethics."

"Does he know you're here?" Naruto asked, in awe of how awesome his father was. Minato didn't like to talk much about when he'd first started practicing, and when he did, he was always very humble about it. Naruto had done his own searching and found how many people his father had brought to justice.

"No, he probably doesn't remember me, which is fine. And I ask that you do not tell him." He took the picture back and replaced it back to where it was. "Never in my life did I think I'd be educating his son, and because I am, I've decided that you're not going to get any special treatment."

"Ehh?" Naruto gulped when he saw the serious look his professor was giving him. "Wh-what do you mean, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Sasuke comes from a very strict family of lawyers, and I want to assign him as your tutor. Since he works for me, he has to do what I say…well, most of what I say." Naruto made a face at his professor's questionable statement. "He'll be grading all your work so that I will remain impartial. And although he will be tutoring you, your work will also be graded by other members of my team, who are all very qualified lawyers with a license."

"Wait a minute, sir. I'm not sure this is fair. Aren't there paid graders for these things?"

"Yes, it is fair." The look on Kakashi's face made Naruto clamp his mouth shut. "No man can surpass your father, except for you, perhaps. Although I am positive you can get there on your own, Sasuke is incredibly intelligent, and I am hoping that your shining personality rubs off on him."

"Oh…."

"Although the Uchiha are excellent lawyers, they'll do anything to win." Kakashi sat in his chair and lowered his voice. "I'm very glad that Sasuke has agreed to work for me, but I'm still dissatisfied with the way he handles things, and nothing I say seems to stick. Perhaps this is a big request from you even though we've just met, but I think you both can learn a lot from each other."

Naruto chuckled. "You thought of this in the first two days you've known me?"

Kakashi smiled. "I've known Sasuke for about three years now, but it seems like I've known you for even longer, Naruto."

After more chatting with Kakashi about everything and nothing, they entered the other room where the small group was working. Naruto saw (and smelled, very strongly) Sasuke, as well as another man and one woman. The woman was very pretty – Naruto's type if he would say so. She had long pink and a slim figure underneath her suit. By how close she was sitting to Sasuke, he guessed that they were probably together….

"Shikamaru, Sakura, this is Naruto. He'll be joining us for a short while as Sasuke teaches him a few things."

"Not favoring a student are you?" the brunet with the ponytail groaned. "Last thing we need is a runt to slow us down."

"Hey-!" Naruto shouted indignantly. Sasuke cut him off.

"I never agreed to teach him anything."

"Yes, well, I took the liberty of deciding that for you." Kakashi left and closed the door behind him. Naruto shifted awkwardly as Sasuke and Sakura returned to the pile of paperwork in front of them. Shikamaru gave a loud sigh and pulled out the chair next to him. Naruto eagerly sat down.

"Now, just read these and highlight anything with this phone number. I'm going to get coffee." Shikamaru left without saying another word, and Naruto had the suspicion that he dumped all his work on him and left to go gallivant. Nevertheless, he took the highlighter and the document that the brunet had left open.

"So, are you guys the same age as me?" he asked, trying to break the silence and the tension. He really just wanted to distract himself from Sasuke's scent. How was he ever going to get anything done if all he could concentrate on was how nice the smell was? It was as if his brain didn't want to shut off that particular stimulus, as if it was tell him to do something about it.

"I'm 26," Sakura said without looking up. Naruto's heart sank. She didn't want to give him the time of say.

"Same," Sasuke said after a while. For some odd reason, Naruto was extremely happy that they were talking to him.

"I'll be 26 this year too! October 10!" he said excitedly. "Wow, you guys probably went straight to law school from undergrad huh? I worked and volunteered a bit. It kinda put me behind but it was all really great."

"Sasuke finished undergrad in three and a half years and started law school right after," Sakura said curtly, as she highlighted a passage. Naruto nodded, remembering that he was supposed to highlight as well.

"That's really amazing. I did all four years because I just didn't want to leave, you know?"

"Are you sure it wasn't because you're an idiot?"

Naruto stood and slammed his hands on the table, startling Sakura but not even fazing the dark haired man. "Hey, what's your problem? I'm just trying to be friendly. Haven't you heard of getting along with your coworkers?"

"Being a coworker implies a fair amount of equality among parties," Sasuke said, jotting down notes. Apparently, he had a different job. "Obviously, I'm your superior." He looked up, his dark eyes shining with amusement. "Moron."

Naruto reached over and grabbed the man by the collar of his expensive looking suit, and the intensity of his scent made his head spin. Suddenly, he wanted to peel off the layers of that black suit and rip off the sky blue shirt and get to the skin underneath. Did all of Sasuke smell like this? Why did he want to sink his teeth into the visible column of the other man's pale neck?

"Naruto! Let him go this instant!" Sakura screeched, standing as well. Naruto did so as if he were burned, and he stormed out of the room and office without even looking back. His heart was racing and beads of sweat were forming on his brow. He quickly drove back to his apartment and took a freezing shower as he tried to scrub off the scent that had rubbed onto him from touching Sasuke.

As he walked into Kakashi's class, he was careful to sit as far away from Sasuke as possible. He sat next to a girl in the third row with strong, fragrant perfume. It helped to dull his senses for a while, but he couldn't ignore the fact that Sasuke was still in the room, emitting a very alluring scent. As soon as class was over, he bolted out of the lecture hall and forced himself to study in the library.

* * *

><p>Kakashi called him into his office again the following week, right after he met with Hinata for lunch. This time, only Sasuke was in the other room with a pile of books and a laptop. Naruto wanted to turn and run away, but Kakashi forced him to sit down next to the Uchiha.<p>

"I'm not sure what happened last week, but I sincerely hope you will work out your differences." He left into his office and closed the door again. Naruto took out his laptop and started to breathe out of his mouth, hoping that he wouldn't smell Sasuke at all. Unfortunately, he could still taste him. That fact freaked him out even more, and he began take deep breaths through his nose trying in vain to dispel the taste from his tongue.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sasuke asked. Naruto glared at him.

"I swear, you're wearing some kind of strange cologne! What is it?" He tried to reach for Sasuke but Sasuke rolled his chair back.

"I'm not wearing any, idiot! Don't come near me!"

"Do you shower regularly then? There's something wrong with you!"

"No! You've seriously lost your mind!" Sasuke stood and tried to put distance between them, but Naruto got up and followed after him. The dark haired man was about to head for the doors when suddenly it opened and a tall, intimidating figure suddenly appeared. Naruto paused. He'd recognize Uchiha Itachi anywhere – he was extremely famous in the legal circle. The man was also very beautiful, but he also looked extremely upset as he gazed at his younger brother.

"So this is where you've been hiding, little brother," he said, his smooth voice sending chills down Naruto's spine. Naruto stood, frozen, as Sasuke backed away from Itachi, and Itachi closed the doors. "I've been looking for you. Father wants to see you."

"I know. I'm not going to see the old man." Sasuke, once commanding before, looked subdued in the presence of his brother. Naruto grinned, liking the thought of Sasuke submitting. Itachi's gaze suddenly fell on him, and he hesitated before speaking.

"Hi, I'm Naruto," he said. Itachi's gaze shifted to him, and Itachi smiled. Had he always been this charismatic? Why couldn't Sasuke smile like that? Oh that's right, Naruto thought to himself, bastards don't have winning smiles.

"Nice to meet you, Naruto. I'm Itachi. I see you're acquaintances with my little brother?"

"Well, almost," Naruto said, slowly warming up to Itachi's personality. "Should I leave?"

"It's alright. I need to have a word with Kakashi then I'll be back shortly to collect Sasuke." His gaze turned to Sasuke, his eyes hardening slightly. "Don't go anywhere." He turned and left.

Naruto sighed and laughed. "Wow, he's pretty scary."

"Shut up." Sasuke's mood turned foul, and he shoved a chair into the table. Naruto became concerned.

"Hey, take it easy."

"I don't want to see my old man. I hate how Itachi makes me do stupid things like that."

"It's ok. He's your family so –"

"You don't know anything about me, so shut the hell up!"

Naruto flinched but wasn't the least bit intimidated. He approached the other man and carefully touched his elbow. Suddenly it was like he'd known Sasuke for years. Touching him seemed familiar, _right_. The scent was stronger now, and Naruto wanted to embrace him, to bury his head into Sasuke's neck. The urge was so strong it made his chest ache with longing. What was happening to him?

Oddly enough, Sasuke didn't pull away, and Naruto was truly happy.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly. Sasuke scoffed.

"It's none of your business," replied the dark haired man just as Itachi re-entered.

"Are you going to come with me?" Itachi asked. Sasuke glared at him.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really, but I am doing for you what I can, Sasuke." Itachi sighed, coming closer. Naruto reluctantly released the other man's elbow. "He won't accept you leaving without saying anything."

"What's the worst that can happen?"

"He'll probably disown you, but mother will never let that happen. At least come to her birthday party next month." Sasuke nodded slowly. Itachi smiled and ruffled Sasuke's hair. He looked over at Naruto. "You can come as well. Sasuke doesn't have any friends, and it would make mother happy if she knew Sasuke had made at least one connection."

"What about his girlfriend?"

Itachi started to laugh so hard that even Naruto felt embarrassed for Sasuke. Sasuke kept trying to tell Itachi to shut up but the older man kept laughing. Naruto tried not to smile at Sasuke's pouting face as he glared at his brother.

"He doesn't have a girlfriend?" Naruto repeated, confused. Itachi settled down and poked Sasuke's side, causing the other to flinch and then glare.

"My little brother? No…."

"Everyone is too troublesome, ok? I just want to focus on opening my own firm," Sasuke explained, still glaring at his older brother. Naruto didn't think Sasuke had had such a cute side, a personality that probably only showed up around Itachi. Naruto wanted to see more of it. He wanted to know more about Uchiha Sasuke, and he was determined to do anything to understand him.

"I know, little brother. I'll let you go this time and placate father a little more." His eyes softened. "Come home for mother, at least. She misses you terribly."

"Do you miss me?" he asked quietly. Naruto wasn't even sure he heard correctly until Itachi patted him on the shoulder then poked his forehead.

"You know I do. Visit me as well. I know it's awkward to see Kakashi outside of work, but we'll behave when you come over. See you around, Naruto." Itachi left without a word. Naruto blushed. Itachi and Kakashi were together? He didn't peg either of them as being gay but he didn't care about stuff like that. He was just surprised that their personalities didn't clash. Naruto didn't really think of couples in terms of gender preferences. He'd always told himself that if his mate was a man, then he'd still love and be attracted to him the same amount as he would to a woman. His mother might be upset with the lack of kits but she'd probably still be happy for him.

Kakashi entered with swollen, pink lips and Naruto had to look away. Naruto wasn't a virgin by any means but he didn't want to imagine his professor in a compromising position with another man.

"Well, what are you both waiting for?" he asked, adjusting his tie. "I do believe we have work to do."

* * *

><p>AN: I don't know much about law school... Correction, I don't know ANYTHING about law school. Please feel free to correct me on anything. Flames and reviews are welcome. I'm in unfamiliar territory and would appreciate any criticisms, as long as they are constructive, of course =]


	2. Unlikely Friendship

**Pilot**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. Misashi Kishimoto does though!

_Unlikely Friendship_

* * *

><p>As Naruto became used to being in such close proximity to Sasuke, his strange scent didn't seem to bother him as much. In fact, it had mellowed into something that made him feel comfortable. Even if Sasuke were as far as twenty feet away, he could still smell him and it soothed him to know that the other man was near. Likewise, when they'd accidentally touch, the scent would stay on Naruto's clothes until he got home. He'd only noticed he'd been saving those clothes in a pile by his bed when he was running short on clean things to wear. By the time the full moon came around again, he was confident that he could transform on his own and away from home.<p>

His mother was extremely upset with that, of course, and demanded that he call her as soon as the sun would rise the next morning. Naruto knew he was going to struggle without the space and the freedom of his parents' backyard, but he couldn't keep relying on them for help. Eventually, he'd have to have the courage to show his mate this curse, and he could only do that if he came to terms with it himself.

That next morning, he found himself curled up in the pile of laundry covered with Sasuke's scent. He suddenly had the urge to see him. He wasn't quite sure what this longing was, and it scared him. When he called his mother that morning, he told her everything. She sounded truly happy for him, but he shouldn't have expected anything different.

_"What's this luck guy's name, kit?"_ she asked. Naruto bit his lip.

"Uchiha Sasuke." The other line was silent for a while. Naruto knew she was still there because he never got a dial tone. "I-is something wrong? I mean, I know dad dislikes their law firm but Sasuke pretty much left it. He's working for my professor now, who does civil suits. Nothing amazing or noteworthy, but nothing shady…."

_"O-oh no, kit. Everything's fine."_ Except Naruto knew when she was upset with something. _"I'm really happy for you. Just give it more time until you think he's the right one. It takes a while, you know?"_

"But you said you knew dad was your mate the moment you laid eyes on him."

_"I know, but I didn't show him my true form until at least 3 months later…."_

Naruto was starting to feel upset, and he told her he had to go before he'd feel even worse. What was wrong with Sasuke? Sure, he could be a bastard sometimes, but at least he was honest with his feelings. Naruto could appreciate that, even though there were better ways to go about it. He sighed and got ready to go to school.

Naruto could sniff out Sasuke before he saw him. He rounded a corner and stopped in his tracks. A redheaded man was talking to Sasuke, and their conversation didn't seem friendly. From what Naruto could tell, the other man was about their age, and slightly shorter than himself. The redhead reached out to grab Sasuke's elbow, but Sasuke brushed it off and started walking towards Naruto. Sasuke passed him without saying anything. The redhead frowned but turned in the opposite direction.

"Hey, what was that about?" he asked Sasuke as he caught up to him. Sasuke ignored him. "Bastard!"

"Keep your voice down," Sasuke hissed, finding an empty hallway and pulling Naruto along with him. Naruto's heart skipped a beat, his pulse accelerating due to the single point of contact. Sasuke released him. "Listen, if you ever see that guy, pretend you don't know me, got it?"

Naruto blinked slowly, his senses reeling from having Sasuke so close to him and whispering. "Why?" he asked curiously.

"Don't look at me. Don't touch me. Don't even breathe in my direction. We'll meet in Kakashi's office at 7 tonight. Do not come near me until then, Naruto." His eyes were piercing as they looked into Naruto's. Naruto nodded slowly, and Sasuke left him. He waited for about five minutes before heading to class, wondering what that was all about and what the relationship was between Sasuke and that other guy.

* * *

><p>Kakashi had let Naruto hang out in his office an hour prior to meeting Sasuke. Naruto brought the older man some instant noodles, and Kakashi was grateful for it since he had so much work and usually ate out because of it. They were eating in the conference room when Naruto finally spoke up.<p>

"You and Itachi-san are dating?"

Kakashi nearly knocked his ramen bowl over and straightened it before its contents could spill. "Well, define 'dating.'"

"Boyfriends?" Naruto said tentatively. Kakashi looked at his documents thoughtfully.

"Perhaps."

Naruto was silent for a moment. "Do you know if Sasuke is seeing anyone?" He could tell from his peripheral vision that Kakashi was looking at him, but he was too shy to meet his gaze.

"Not that I know of."

Naruto nodded, finishing up the rest of his bowl. His stomach was in knots. He really wanted to tell Sasuke how he felt, to show him his curse in the hopes that Sasuke'd be the one to cure him, but he really didn't want to take the risk. He wanted to develop a relationship with the other man first, just to see how well they clicked as a couple. Sasuke was starting to warm up to him; he really didn't want to ruin what they had now.

Just then, Sasuke came in and closed the door softly behind him, though hurriedly. He took off his suit jacket and unbuttoned the first few buttons of his white dress shirt. His scent was stronger because of it, and there was a hint of sweat, as if he'd been exerting himself.

"Good evening, Sasuke," Kakashi said, unfazed by Sasuke's flustered appearance.

"Hi," he said, taking a seat beside Naruto. Naruto bit his lip, his eyes trailing down to the expanse of skin showing at the top of his chest. He'd never seen Sasuke in anything more than a button down. It'd be nice if the other man dressed more casually and showed more skin. Sasuke turned to him and Naruto blinked, completely caught off guard. He hoped Sasuke hadn't noticed him staring. "Don't you have to write a paper for Izanaki's class?"

"Yeah." Naruto quickly went to retrieve his laptop so that he could calm down. Sasuke's scent was starting to overwhelm him again, and he was lucky that he'd stayed up all night the night before trying to finish up most of his paper. He could barely concentrate whenever Sasuke was with him.

"How far did you get?"

"I just need a conclusion, but I think my counterargument is a little shaky."

"I'll review it."

Naruto appreciated the help Sasuke was giving him, and even though it seemed like he was cheating, Sasuke never gave him any answers or gave his perspective on anything that required on Naruto's. He was extremely bright, though Naruto loathed admitting it, and his critiques were always constructive, even though he said them in a way that made Naruto feel inadequate. Naruto really hoped that there was something he could do for him in return. So far, Sasuke didn't seem like he needed any help other than issues with his family. Kakashi had said that he wanted Naruto's personality to rub off on him, but Sasuke was as stubborn as a mule and Naruto had yet to see what extremes Sasuke would go through to end up on top.

"I see what you mean," Sasuke said after a while. "You need more evidence for your counterargument. Otherwise, choose a different point to make." Naruto nodded, knowing that Sasuke was going to say something like that. He wasn't really good at writing. He was better with actions. Sasuke probably did both pretty well.

They spent the rest of the night helping Kakashi review his court case. Naruto knew how everything worked because he often sat with his dad in his office, but working on a civil case was interesting and different.

Kakashi parted ways with them first from the parking lot. Naruto started walking towards his car and noticed a man standing beside it. He heard Sasuke curse next to him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Let me handle this." Sasuke walked ahead and confronted the figure by his car. Naruto caught up and noticed that it was the redhead that he'd seen earlier with Sasuke. Under the lamp post, the redhead looked a bit eerie. He had the potential to be handsome, but his angry, almost murderous expression was trained on Naruto. "What the hell are you doing here, Akasuna?"

Naruto's eyebrows rose. "Judge Akasuna?"

The redhead's turquoise eyes ran over Naruto's figure, and his thin lips tilted up in a smirk. "I thought this was him. Namikaze Naruto. This is interesting." Sasuke stepped between them.

"Quit fucking around, Gaara. I thought I told you to leave me alone."

"No judge is going to grant you a restraining order, Uchiha. You're still mine, and the last I checked, I didn't give you permission to leave."

Those words made Naruto feel jealous and protective at the same time. He stepped forward. "Hey, I don't know who you think you are, but Sasuke certainly doesn't belong to anyone. He's not a piece of property you can pass around or own."

"I beg to differ, Naruto. Has Sasuke not mentioned our relationship to you?"

Naruto's blood ran cold, and the confident look in his eyes made Naruto doubt himself.

"There is no relationship. Get lost. It's over." Sasuke took the keys from Naruto's hands and unlocked the car doors. He got into the passenger side and started the engine. Naruto glared at the redhead for awhile longer before moving to the driver's side.

"You can't compete with me," the redhead said as Naruto opened the car door. "Even your father is powerless against me. See you around." Gaara slowly walked away, a black Rolls Royce pulling up to meet him. The chauffer quickly got out to open the door for him and Gaara slipped inside, his eyes trained on Naruto until he disappeared.

The car ride was uncomfortable. Naruto wasn't sure of where to go so he just went to his place. Sasuke didn't protest, which made him both happy and worried at the same time. His apartment complex was on the cheaper side so there wasn't a proper parking garage. He pulled up into a space in the lot and shut of the engine.

"What was that about?" Naruto asked after a while. He had been debating whether or not he really wanted to know, but he had to find out what kind of relationship those two had.

"I met him after I first passed the bar," Sasuke said after a while, his voice low. In the dark, with not much light, Naruto's senses were on overdrive. He could smell and hear Sasuke as if they were cuddled up next to each other. He wanted to reach out so badly to touch the pale hand on the gear shift, but it looked like a fragile, porcelain masterpiece. "Since his father is the supreme court judge, I was able to pull some strings with lower level judges. Obviously, Gaara wanted an exchange, but I've stopped that now."

Naruto was at a loss for words. Instead, he did what he did best, and he gave him his best smile. "It's ok now. You stopped all that, right?" Sasuke looked at him and nodded slowly. "Come on, let's have some coffee at my place. My mom got me this awesome expresso machine as a grad gift. She said it should help me wake up and stay awake since I love my sleep so much."

Sasuke got out of the car. Naruto grabbed his belongings and happily led Sasuke to his apartment, chatting amiably as he did so. Sasuke didn't say anything, but that was ok. Naruto felt comforted by just his presence and scent alone.

His apartment was a complete mess. He'd forgotten that he needed to do laundry, and quickly turned on his expresso machine before throwing half of his dirty clothes into the wash. Sasuke was inspecting his tiny living, from his small entertainment section to the books on his shelves and the pictures he had of his family and friends from home.

"I don't really have much," Naruto said from his kitchen. It wasn't completely closed off from the living room, and he could see Sasuke plop down on his couch and search for the remote control.

"It's nice, actually," he replied, finding the object and turning on Naruto's 32" flat screen.

"Do you like your coffee sweet? I only have French vanilla creamer."

"Just a couple teaspoons is fine."

Naruto made a face as he poured the creamer in, knowing that the coffee wouldn't even be remotely sweet enough for his palette. He brought the steaming mug over to Sasuke and handed it to him.

"Konoha Wildcats?" Sasuke read, staring at the mug. Naruto laughed sheepishly.

"Yeah. Where'd you go for undergad?"

"Tokyo U."

"Ohhh." Naruto cursed under his breath as he returned to the kitchen. The guy was too smart.

He made himself a cup and sat next to Sasuke on a couch he'd owned halfway through his undergraduate schooling. It was a black polyester sofa which probably had a lot of stains from parties and food, but Naruto tried to keep it as clean as possible. His possessions held sentimental value for him, and even though it was starting to wear out a bit, he refused to get a new one.

"This is pretty good," Sasuke said after a while. Naruto smiled.

"Thanks. My uncle got it for me. He travels a lot and always brings us stuff. It's Kona coffee, from Hawaii. Medium dark."

"Mm."

Naruto couldn't help but stare at Sasuke's profile. He looked like he'd been carved from ivory by a masterful sculptor. Naruto terribly wished he could tell Sasuke how he felt about him.

"Do you live alone?" he asked instead, turning his eyes back to the tv. It was on the History channel.

"Yeah."

"Where? I can drop you and pick you up again tomorrow. Your car is probably still on campus, huh?"

"I live on the other side of town. Yeah, that would be a good idea, if its not too much trouble."

Naruto smiled. He'd never seen Sasuke acting considerate before. "Nah, don't worry about it. I offered."

Naruto was excited to find out where Sasuke lived, and he hoped he'd be invited inside. He wondered what it would be like in there. It was probably saturated with Sasuke's scent. He was practically giddy with excitement. However, when he pulled up in front of the towering complex, Sasuke didn't invite him in (after all, why would he? It was 12am!) and just bid him a good night. Disheartened, but hopeful for tomorrow, Naruto drove home and placed his clothes in the dryer before going to bed.

* * *

><p>Naruto was outside eating lunch with Hinata when he saw Itachi approaching them. Hinata blushed as he sat down next to Naruto on the bench and smiled at her.<p>

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"N-not at all," Hinata murmured. Naruto picked up a sushi from Hinata's bento and ate it.

"What's up, Itachi-san?" he asked through a mouthful of food. Itachi instead looked at their surroundings. Fall was just about to come to an end and the myriad of dead leaves were flowing with the chilly wind.

"My mother's birthday is this weekend. You'll bring Sasuke, won't you?"

"Isn't it more like he'll be bringing me?" Naruto tried to clarify, swallowing. Itachi looked at him.

"Not exactly. I'm sorry for burdening you with my difficult brother, but I figured you'd be more successful at making him do things than I am."

"Why would you say that?" the blond asked curiously, studying Itachi's expression. Unfortunately, Itachi disarmed him with another smile and patted him on the shoulder.

"I hope to see you there with Sasuke. It's this Saturday night at the mansion. Good day, Hyuuga-san." Itachi politely excused himself and seemed to be headed in the direction of Kakashi's office.

"I didn't know you were friends with Uchiha Itachi," Hinata whispered, her blush still visible. Naruto shrugged.

"Not friends exactly, but close enough, I suppose." Suddenly, he remembered something, and his heart nearly stopped beating. The full moon was this Saturday. There was no way he could possibly go! "Ah, sorry Hinata-chan, but I just remembered something and I gotta go. I'll see you later!" He dashed off to Kakashi's office, hoping he'd be able to catch Itachi and make up an excuse.

The door to the conference room was left ajar, and before Naruto could enter, he heard Itachi's and Sasuke's voices through the crack. His hand paused on the handle as he couldn't help but eavesdrop.

"The least you can do is attend for mother's sake. She does nothing but talk about you to her friends at the country club," Itachi was saying.

"I don't care. If that old man is going to be there, then it'll be like I'm not even there. I refuse to be in the same room as him."

"Introduce him to Naruto. That should keep father entertained for a while."

"Father hates Namikaze and would probably do little worse to Naruto….."

Itachi laughed. "How do you feel about Naruto?"

Naruto bit his lip as a pause ensued. He wanted to know as well, although he was anxious at the same time.

"He's a good friend," Sasuke replied at last, his voice low. Naruto chose that moment to enter, however, he had forgotten what he needed to say. Sasuke glared at him as if he hadn't said something sweet earlier. "We don't meet until later, moron."

"Umm, that is…." Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Oh yeah! I'm really sorry Itachi-san, but I really can't make it this Saturday night…."

"You invited him?" Sasuke asked incredulously. Itachi simply nodded.

"That's a shame, Naruto-kun," Itachi said regretfully. "Is there any way I can make you change your mind?"

Naruto looked apologetic. "It's something I can't help so…. I really wish I could though."

"Me too." Itachi smiled and patted his shoulder as he walked past him. "We'll continue this later, little brother," he called over his shoulder, walking out. Naruto looked at Sasuke, who quickly turned away.

"I know its none of my business, but you should really go to your mother's party," Naruto said quietly. "My mom would kill me if I didn't go to hers."

"We have very different mothers, Naruto. Don't presume that you know mine."

"I'd like to meet her sometime." At Sasuke's raised eyebrow, he quickly added, "I mean, she does a lot of philanthropy. I'm sure my mom would like to meet her too."

"If you want to meet her so badly, why don't you go to her party then?" Sasuke challenged. "I'll go if you go." He smirked. Naruto bit his lip, unsure whether or not Sasuke was being sincere.

"Would you really?" Naruto asked tentatively. Sasuke shrugged.

"Sure."

Naruto wasn't sure what he wanted to do. Maybe if he left early then he could avoid transforming in front of the Uchihas and their guests? The thought made him anxious. He really did want to meet Sasuke's family, and he hoped that he could help patch things up between Sasuke and his dad.

"Alright. I'll go and you'll have to come with me."

"Hn. Don't you have something else to do that night?" Sasuke shook his head, laughing. "Idiot. I was just kidding. Obviously, I wouldn't do something just because you are."

Naruto scowled. "Fine, then I won't go. Bastard." He wasn't sure what Sasuke's problem was. Naruto had tried to be nothing but nice to him, yet the other man insisted on being a prick. He only looked forward to the rare moments that belied Sasuke's vulnerable side. Also, Sasuke smelled too good to stay away from, no matter how hard Naruto would try (not that he really had). "You don't have to tease me about it."

"Whatever, moron."

Later that night, Naruto found himself supporting a drunk Sasuke on one shoulder as they walked from the bar to Sasuke's place. Naruto, in an effort to spend more time with Sasuke, had begged the Uchiha to go drinking with him. Sasuke had caved in, bringing them to a bar he frequented by his place. Somehow, beers had turned into harder types of liquor, and since neither of them wanted to be outdone by the other, they ended up drinking until the lightweight would make himself known. In this case, it was Sasuke, but Naruto was pretty trashed too.

"Damn it, we have class tomorrow, too," Naruto murmured, fighting the urge to drop to the floor along with his inebriated companion. "Oi, Sasuke, are you ok?"

"'m fine, you…you…." Sasuke was waving a finger in Naruto's face. Naruto gently pushed it back down.

"You know, I've been wondering – why do you insult me all the time?" Naruto was truly curious. He didn't see why Sasuke had to belittle him constantly.

Sasuke swayed, nearly pulling them to the ground. Naruto firmly held him around his waist and used his other hand to hold Sasuke's arm around his shoulders.

"Do you work out?" Sasuke asked. Naruto shrugged.

"I try to. I did a lot just before I started here."

"Hn."

"You still didn't answer my question." When Sasuke didn't say anything, Naruto just rolled his eyes and ignored it. Maybe he could ask him that later.

They got up to the tenth floor. Naruto figured the place cost at least a thousand in rent if the interior décor and high security were anything to go by. Sasuke took out his keys at his apartment door and tried to fit the correct one into the lock. When he failed four times, Naruto decided to take over.

He quickly brought Sasuke to his room left to bring him water. When he came back, Sasuke was slowly undressing. His shoes were already off and he was working on his shirt and tie. Naruto finally registered the fact that he was in _Sasuke's_ living space and the scent of the Uchiha suddenly overwhelmed him, nearly making him drop the glass of water in his hand.

Naruto swallowed thickly as the shirt slipped off and Sasuke was working on his slacks. "Umm, I should really go." The reality of what was happening was starting to sober him up, however, the linger effects of alcohol was making his heart pound and impairing his ability to do the right thing.

"Jus' 'leep here," Sasuke said, lying down to take his pants off. He was having trouble getting them past his ankles, and Naruto placed the water down on the bedside table and helped them off. He couldn't help but stare at Sasuke's bare legs. He could make them out in the dark against the dark sheets underneath. He wanted to reach out and touch them, to run his hands upwards and – .

"That's not a good idea," Naruto said quickly, stepping back. "I'll see you tomorrow, k?" Even though he didn't trust himself to drive, he'd walk home if he had to.

"Fine, then. Jus' go!" Sasuke sounded upset, and that was enough to give Naruto pause. Sasuke got under the covers and curled up into a ball, shivering slightly. He probably didn't handle alcohol very well, and that was made obvious when he suddenly got up and rushed to the bathroom to throw up. Naruto quickly got him more water and helped him in the bathroom.

He felt bad for the Uchiha. He was probably stressed from working too hard and trying to meet high expectations. Even though it was still dark in the apartment, Naruto couldn't make out anything that personalized the place. Naruto would like to come around during the day and invited. He hoped he could come by everyday, in fact.

When Sasuke was done, he had the mind to quickly brush his teeth before crawling into bed and curling up under the covers. Naruto stood there, unsure of what to do, but then Sasuke spoke up.

"I thought you were leaving," Sasuke murmured, his voice raspy.

"Y-yeah, I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I'll be fine. Just go." Again, the cold, almost scornful tone in Sasuke's voice made Naruto hesitate, and finally making a decision, he sat on the opposite side of the bed.

"I'll leave once you're asleep." He saw Sasuke nod slowly. Sasuke's breath evened out quickly after, and Naruto quietly made his escape.

* * *

><p>The rest of the week passed uneventfully. On Saturday, Naruto was trying to start on an assignment but all he could do was think about Sasuke and his scent and how saturated his apartment was with it. It was a little frightening how much he wanted to go back there and how much he missed the other man. His emotions were probably going haywire because it was the eve of the full moon. He sighed. Why couldn't he live a normal life?<p>

His cell phone suddenly rang, startling him out of his thoughts. It was Kakashi calling.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei."

"Naruto, can you come by my office today? I want you to be here as my team reviews this case."

"But I was just there yesterday." Remembering that Sasuke would most likely be there, he added, "Ok."

"Good see you then. Also, can you pick up some coffee for us? I'll give you the orders."

Half an hour later, Naruto appeared at Kakashi's conference room with two trays of coffee. He instantly sought out Sasuke, who was taking notes next to Sakura. Shikamaru was there was well sitting across from them. Kakashi had books open in front of him. When Naruto entered, he looked up and smiled.

"Thanks, Naruto. I really appreciate it. Here, come sit." Naruto did so next to Shikamaru. He tried not to stare at Sasuke but glancing at him every five minutes probably wasn't much better. Kakashi started briefing Naruto on the case and Naruto forced himself to pay attention to what was being said.

Several hours passed and no one realized it was almost seven in the evening untilNaruto's stomach growled loudly. Shikamaru left first, claiming that his wife would give him hell if he didn't make it in time for dinner. Sakura asked if Sasuke wanted to get drinks but he declined. She glanced at Naruto and asked him instead. Naruto didn't mind being second choice, and he did want to make new friends.

"Yeah, why not? Can we get something to eat first, though? I'm starving."

"Didn't you say you had something to do tonight?" Sasuke asked pointedly. Naruto inwardly winced.

"W-well it's not until later tonight, so…."

"If you're busy later, then we can go some other time," Sakura said. "I wouldn't want to make you feel rushed or anything."

"That is…."

"Bye guys. Bye Kakashi-sensei. See you on Monday!" She left after she'd packed her things. Naruto sadly stared after her. He got the feeling that she really hadn't wanted to hang out with him. He sighed.

"So I take it that you're not going to the Uchiha's party?" Kakashi asked, closing his books. Naruto looked at him.

"No. Are you?"

"Of course. Itachi's dragging me along, but its not like I won't get anything out of it."

Naruto coughed, nearly having choked on his own saliva. He didn't realize that his professor was so open about his sex life.

"Thanks for sharing," Sasuke muttered.

"Anytime."

Just then Itachi showed up in a black suit with a red silk shirt underneath. On top he wore a gray tie with a small white wolf on the bottom. "Good evening," he said, then to Kakashi, "Are you almost ready?"

"Let me put these away and we can go." Kakashi left the room, leaving the two dark haired men and one blonde. Itachi looked at Sasuke putting his things away.

"Still going to be stubborn, little brother?"

"Still going to be a bastard, big brother?" Sasuke replied snidely. Itachi chuckled and looked at Naruto.

"See what I have to deal with? I wonder what happened to my cute baby brother who used to follow me around and asked me to play with him. You know, Naruto, this one time – ."

"Shut up, Itachi!"

"It's ok," Kakashi chimed in, putting on his coat. "He's told me lots of stories about you, Sasuke; like that one time when you pretended you were a ninja and sprained your ankle trying to attack your brother."

Naruto laughed at the red on Sasuke's face. He was sure more was from anger than embarrassment.

"If you come along you'll hear more stories about Sasuke," Itachi said, coaxing Naruto. "My mother has this collection of photo albums. I'll be more than happy to show them to you, Naruto."

The blonde bit his lip, torn between two decisions. He really did want to go, but he didn't want to risk transforming in front of the Uchiha's. He could probably get away with leaving early, but even then it was still risky. He was most sensitive to Sasuke's scent now, and he didn't want to accidentally attack the guy in his parents' home, but if Sasuke wasn't even going, then he had nothing to worry about.

"I'm not even dressed though…."

"It's alright. I'll give you the address now. We're going a little earlier, but you can show up in an hour or two."

"It'll be nice to have someone other than myself who isn't an Uchiha," Kakashi added. "Great networking too. The Uchiha own half of the businesses here in Konoha."

"But Sasuke…." Naruto tried to say, gazing in the younger Uchiha's direction.

"I'm not going," Sasuke stated firmly.

Naruto turned back to Itachi and nodded. "Well, I can go for a bit. Maybe a couple hours or until the cake comes out."

"It's going to be good cake," Itachi said, smiling. "Kakashi, could you text him the address? See you soon, Naruto. Bye, little brother." With that, the two left. Naruto felt as if a huge weight had lifted off his shoulders. He wasn't quite sure why Itachi and Kakashi were still pressuring him to go if Sasuke was dead set against attending, but he was going to go as Itachi's guest, not Sasuke's. Besides, black mail material on the bastard would be nice.

"Be prepared to meet my father," Sasuke said as he was leaving the conference room. Naruto quickly followed. "He hates your father and would gladly make that known to you."

"It's ok. I can take it. My family gets threatened all the time."

"That doesn't bother you?" Sasuke asked, surprised. Naruto just smiled at him.

"Nah. My dad has always told me to try and be understanding of others. My mom helps out by volunteering in low income communities, so a lot of people know her there. That's why I want to meet your mom. A lot of the money that your family donates gets used where it's needed. Crime rates are dropping there, and the high school graduation rates are increasing. So even though your dad hates mine, I'm sure that if he actually got the chance to talk to him, he'll probably find some things in common with him."

"Hn."

They were about to part ways at the parking lot when Sasuke spoke up.

"I'll pick you up in an hour."

Naruto nearly tripped over himself on the way to his car. He spun around to face him. "Huh?"

"I said, I'll pick you up. Who knows what an idiot like you might say and get in trouble for it."

"So you're going?" Naruto said excitedly. "Wait, let me pick you up, instead! Since I might have to leave early."

"Whatever. Don't be late." Sasuke started walking towards his car, and Naruto wanted to do a victory dance. He wasn't sure why he was so happy that Sasuke was going. Maybe it was because he'd be able to spend more time with him. In either case, he couldn't wait to surprise the Uchiha's with Sasuke's presence.

After showering and making sure that he was cleanly shaven, Naruto didn't know what to wear. He had several business suits, but he wasn't sure if they'd be adequate. Kakashi and Itachi looked professional and formal in their suits, but Naruto always thought he looked bad in them. He'd also have to wear a tie, which he wasn't very fond of but had to endure, apparently. Deciding on a gray suit with a sky blue dress shirt and bright orange tie, he made his way to Sasuke's condo.

Watching Sasuke walk towards his car from the building almost looked like a scene from a movie. Naruto had seen him in suits before, but never wearing all black. The only bit of color was the white tie hanging down his chest. The stark contrast against his skin made him look almost ethereal, and Naruto could have sworn he was an actor or a model just from afar. The condominium workers all stopped to stare at him, as well as the guests and tenants. Naruto wanted to jump out of the car and rip their eyes out.

"You, um, look awesome," Naruto said once Sasuke got into the passenger seat. He immediately regretted it. What guy complimented another guy on his looks? Sasuke also smelled very nice, but he couldn't say that either….

"Nice tie," said Sasuke, smirking as he put on his seat belt. "Too random not be your favorite color."

"That's right. Now where to, Mr. Uchiha?"

* * *

><p>The Uchiha's had their own valet service for the evening. Naruto pulled up into the circular driveway and got a ticket stub from a young man as he exited his car. He then looked up at the mansion in awe. It probably had to have at least ten full bedrooms and full baths. There was no way a normal family could live in there unless they were the monarchs of a small kingdom.<p>

People immediately recognized them and started talking to them. Naruto got separated from Sasuke at one point, but at least he had the excuse of giving a card to the person of honor to politely excuse himself.

Naruto couldn't believe the amount of renown people who had showed up. There was the chief of police, the newspaper editor, the mayor, and even the governor. There were several senators as well judges. He recognized the Supreme court judge, Akasuna, and also found a redhead standing next to him. Gaara quickly spotted Naruto and approached him.

"Nice seeing you here, Namikaze. Where's Sasuke?"

"Not sure. It's nice to see you, too, Gaara."

"I'm not sure this is your crowd. Most of the people are do business with the Uchiha. Your father probably wouldn't be too happy about this."

"You don't know anything about my dad."

"Don't expect to find any dirt on anyone here. You'll be eaten alive before you can report back."

"Listen," Naruto said firmly. He was starting to get annoyed. "I'm here to support a friend, to have a good time, and to wish Uchiha-san a happy birthday. I don't want to be your enemy. I'm not here for some sort of espionage. Sasuke and Itachi are my friends. You can be too, if you want." Naruto smiled at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do you know where Uchiha-san is?"

Gaara didn't say anything as he pointed in Uchiha Mikoto's general direction. Naruto spotted her immediately. It wasn't hard, considering both her sons took after her. Fugaku wasn't exactly the best looking guy around.

"Thanks! See you." He left in search of Sasuke before meeting her. He found Sasuke talking with his cousin, Shisui, who was a surgeon in one of the hospitals, and his wife.

"Oh, nice to meet you finally," Shisui said, shaking Naruto's hand. "Sasuke always has good things to say about you."

"S-Sasuke did?" Naruto asked. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Only that you're a moron who doesn't pay attention. Let's go. See you, Shisui, Naomi." Sasuke steered him towards his parents and paused once his dad caught sight of him. Naruto noticed a change in Sasuke's emotions and grabbed his elbow reassuringly.

"Come on," he whispered. The room nearly fell silent as he and Sasuke approached the couple talking to another. Mikoto excused herself and embraced Sasuke tightly, nearly weeping as she held onto him. Naruto watched as Sasuke relaxed and returned her hug. He felt his heart swell at the sight. He was finally breaking through to him. Once Sasuke let her go, he faced his father, who looked disappointed but also relieved. They nodded to each other.

"Happy birthday, mother," Sasuke said. Mikoto kissed him on the cheek and hugged him again.

"This is the best gift I could have asked for. Thank you for coming, Sasu-chan." At the cute nickname, Naruto snickered. Sasuke glared at him, and Mikoto turned to him, surprised. "Oh, you must be Naruto."

"Happy Birthday, Uchiha-san. It's a great pleasure to finally meet you." He shook her hand. "I'd like to thank you personally for all of your work."

"Ah yes, your mother is the coordinator of the Urban Welfare program. She has such a handsome and polite son. She must be proud of you." She smiled.

Naruto blushed. "Not as proud as you are of Sasuke, I'm sure. He's taking good care of me at the university. He's a very intelligent and good person. I have much to learn from him."

"Hn. He's no son of mine if he continues to work outside of this family," Fugaku said suddenly. His stern expression wasn't even focused on Sasuke, but on Naruto. "Who did you say you were?"

"His name is Namikaze Naruto, the son of DA Namikaze Minato, and he's my very good friend," Sasuke suddenly said, effectively silencing the entire room. Even the orchestra had stopped playing. "I apologize for leaving so abruptly, father, and for avoiding our family for so long. But I'm here now and I want to make mother happy."

Fugaku glanced at Sasuke then at Mikoto, who's tearing eyes must have affected him because then he just turned away without another word. Sasuke moved to go after him, but Itachi's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Let's go together," Itachi said. Sasuke shook his head.

"You've always protected me from father, but I think its time I stood up to him. I didn't mean to get you mixed up into my little rebellion against him, Itachi." Sasuke smiled wryly. "Even if he disowns me, you'll always be my older brother. A bastard like you has to be blood related to me."

Itachi dropped his hand and hugged him instead. Sasuke's face was priceless. Naruto couldn't help but watch the brotherly display with a little bit of jealousy. He wished he had an older brother, or even a younger one. A sister would be nice too, but he'd probably beat up any guy who so much as looked at her the wrong way.

"Happy birthday again, mother," Sasuke said, following his father. Mikoto wanted to chase after him but Itachi managed to get her to mingle with her guests. The orchestra had started up and people started talking among themselves once more. Kakashi turned to Naruto and sipped thoughtfully at his drink.

"That went better than expected. Sasuke is full of surprises, like his older brother, probably." Naruto cringed, his mind instantly taking his comment as an innuendo. "You're a better influence on him than I thought. What did you say to him?"

"N-nothing," Naruto said. He gazed at where Sasuke had been. "That was all him." He had been surprised at Sasuke's response as well. He didn't think he'd introduce him as his best friend to his dad... Just the memory of those words made his heart race and his skin feel warm and tingly. Uh oh...

"Hn, unlikely, but I'll believe you." Itachi joined them again. Naruto vaguely noted that the expression "Hn" must run in the family. "Something's gotten into my little brother lately. Not sure if I like it."

"Well, there might be a couple things that might have gotten into him..." Itachi ignored Kakashi's muttering.

"I hope you'll continue to stay with my little brother," Itachi was telling Naruto. "He really means a lot to me, but it looks like I have to entrust him to you instead."

"Thanks, Itachi." He was starting to feel really warm now, and he could feel himself on the verge of changing. He shoved the card he had for Mikoto into Itachi's hand. "I'm sorry, but I have that...thing... I have to go to. I'll see you guys later." With that, he walked as quickly and inconspicuously as he could towards the exit. He felt bad about not saying bye to Mikoto and not having any cake, but it couldn't be helped.

He didn't have time to make it to his car (the valet having parked it) and decided to run to the side of the mansion and out to the backyard. He'd have to hide outside for the night, which had never happened to him. Lucky for him, the Uchiha Mansion was isolated and looked like it went on for miles. The closest house was another Uchiha mansion, they're family owning most of the western part of the rural area. The entire backyard had a flower garden and outside on the periphery was jungle. Naruto glanced at the full moon and before he knew it, he was changing.

Being a fox wasn't so bad, or at least that's what Naruto liked to tell himself. He rather enjoyed running around in the buff and chasing rodents. the air smoothing over his fur felt divine, and he only wished he had someone to scratch behind his ears. His mom or dad would pet him occasionally, and that usually put him to sleep. He thought less about school and work and any other problems he had. This was his escape. He'd miss it as soon as he found him mate, but he wasn't too upset about that prospect.

He was running through the garden, occasionally peeking up at that mansion. The crowd had died down somewhat, so it must have been late into the night. The valet would notice his car still there, and he hoped they'd just leave his key with the Uchiha's. Maybe Sasuke should have driven. He didn't expect that he'd still be out when he transformed.

Just then, he smelt Sasuke. He looked up over the hedges and wove around them, searching for that scent. It was getting stronger, and his heart was starting to race. Sasuke would finally see him like this. He needed to transform in front of him in order to break the curse, but this was good enough. He had been wanting to see him all night.

The Uchiha was by the fountain in the middle of the garden. Naruto hid behind the white rose bush, frightened yet eager to see him. Sasuke was sitting on the ledge, his tie undone, and his elbows resting on his knees. Without really thinking, Naruto appeared and sat in front of him, waiting patiently like a pet dog. His ears twitched and rose upwards when he heard a sob. Sasuke was crying.

Naruto immediately went up to him and nudged a pale hand with his nose. Sasuke freaked out and gave a surprised cry before falling backwards into the fountain. He resurfaced, sputtering and shaking in the cold. Naruto was beside him in the water, trying to lick him dry. Sasuke jumped out of the fountain.

"What the hell? Stupid fox! Fuck!" He took off his coat and started squeezing the water out of it. "I can't ever catch a break," he muttered softly, sniffling. Feeling horrible, Naruto darted off in search of his discarded clothes. He came back about a minute later with his clothes in tow. It probably wasn't a bright idea. He could always get spare clothes from his parents' house. Naruto just didn't want him to cry or be cold anymore.

Sasuke looked at the clothes then at the fox. "Those look like what that idiot was wearing... Did you eat him, little fox?" Naruto gave a yip, his fluffy tail wagging excitedly. "Where did you find these?" Sasuke came over and carefully picked up the clothes. Naruto ran around him a few times. Sasuke's expression turned dark, and he threw the clothes back onto the ground and stormed back towards the mansion. Naruto tried following him, but Sasuke closed the doors behind him before he could get in. He saw Itachi with Kakashi there, waiting for Sasuke. Kakashi glanced at him, and Naruto quickly ran away. He took his clothes and hid deep within the forest. There was still a faint scent of Sasuke on them, and he curled up onto the pile he made and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Another long chapter. I will try to make at least weekly updates, if not biweekly. Thanks again for reading!<p> 


	3. Truth Be Told

**Pilot**

Standard Disclaimer applies: I don't own anything.

_Truth Be Told_

* * *

><p>The next morning, Naruto woke up underneath some leaves that had fallen during the night. He was a little cold, but after putting his clothes on his body temperature regulated himself. He found his phone in one of his pockets to check the time, but he saw that he had five missed calls and several text messages. He read the texts first<p>

_Mom: Are you ok? Love you. Sent: Oct 12, 9:00pm._ Naruto cursed. He'd forgotten to call his mom, who always worried about him whenever the full moon came out.

_Sasuke Bastard: Where did you go? Sent: Oct 12, 10:35pm_.

_Sasuke Bastard: I'm stranded and I don't want to go home with Itachi and Kakashi. Thanks for ditching me at my mother's party. Your car is still here. Sent: Oct 12, 11:21pm_.

Naruto looked at his missed calls. His mom had called him twice, Sasuke once, and his best friend from home, Kiba, had called him twice at three in the morning – probably a drunk dial. There were two voicemails. He played them as he tried to sneak his way through the jungle and onto the main street outside the mansion. They were from his mom and Kiba.

He felt horrible about Sasuke, and he wanted to go into the mansion and find out if he was still there. Instead, he tried calling him, but it went straight to voicemail. He tried texting him, apologizing then asking if he could come over and see him. He held off on calling his mom for until he got home.

Transforming away from his apartment had been an extremely bad idea. Not only did he ditch Sasuke, but Sasuke probably felt betrayed by the person he'd called his best friend before his disapproving father. Naruto didn't know what he could do to make it up to him, but he knew he'd have to try really hard. He thought about telling the truth, but he knew that would have to wait. No one knew about his condition, even his closest friends from home. Since the beginning of high school, he had had to avoid partying, sleepovers, and just about anything that involved the full moon. Although he'd planned well for it in the past, last night was a failure, and he couldn't wait to see Sasuke and grovel in front of him. But first things first; he needed to get his car.

The gate to the mansion was closed, and Naruto had to ask the guard if he could have the key to his car. The guard seemed to know what had happened, and said that his young master had given him the keys for safe keeping. Naruto was let in, and the mansion doors opened to reveal Sasuke dressed in dark blue jeans and a gray shirt. Naruto yelped and was tempted to run away. The Uchiha did not look happy.

"Where the hell were you?" Sasuke demanded, coming down the steps from the entrance. Naruto opened and closed his mouth several times, his mind going blank from Sasuke's scent. Sasuke stopped two feet away from him. "Well?"

"Uh, I passed out in the backyard," Naruto said quickly. He was horrible at lying. Anyone who knew him could pick up on his tell after being lied to a couple times (not that Naruto did it often). He didn't lie to Sasuke, because technically he did pass out there. Sasuke arched a brow.

"Without your clothes?"

"What are you talking about? I'm wearing my clothes." Though they were dirty and rumpled. Naruto cleared his throat and tried to dust himself off, not sure why he hadn't done that earlier. He definitely needed to get them dry cleaned.

"A fox brought your clothes to me," Sasuke said. "I don't know where he got them, but he had them."

Naruto laughed, trying to play it off. "A fox? Really? Sounds like something from a fairy tale, Sasuke."

Sasuke frowned. "Why were you out there? Didn't you tell Kakashi and Itachi that you were leaving?"

"Yeah, but, I kinda felt sick and I couldn't make it to my car, so I just passed out in your backyard. It's really nice, by the way." There was an awkward pause. "I'm really sorry about last night, Sasuke. I swear I won't leave you like that ever again. Please forgive me." When Sasuke continued to give him a cold, calculated glare, he got down on his knees and was about to prostrate himself when Sasuke's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"You don't have to do that," Sasuke murmured. Naruto looked up into his dark eyes and read the forgiveness there. He felt incredibly guilty for not being there for Sasuke when he was at his weakest.

"I do, Sasuke," Naruto replied quietly. "You were crying, and I wasn't there for you." Sasuke released him, angry and shocked.

"Who the fuck told you that?"

"N-no one. Listen, I'm really sorry so please…." He flinched when Sasuke threw his keys at him and stormed into his house. Naruto scrambled to follow him, but the door slammed in his face, just like last night. Naruto had fists now so he used them to pound on the door. "Sasuke! Sasuke, open up! Don't run away from me! Sasuke!" Naruto was at a loss. He'd somehow gained and lost Sasuke's friendship within 12 hours. He just wanted to crawl into a hole and lay there for as long as Sasuke decided he wanted nothing to do with him. But he wouldn't give up. There was no way he was going to let Sasuke go.

He decided to sit on the steps in front of the mansion and wait until Sasuke left for his apartment. After about thirty minutes, he was kicked off the property and resorted to sitting just outside the gates. He was getting hungry, and he still needed to finish some of his work, but he refused to leave without Sasuke talking to him again. After four hours of nearly passing out in the sun, Sasuke drove up in his white Prius. Naruto refused to move from his spot, which would force Sasuke to stop or run him over. Sasuke didn't look like he was going to slow down, but at the last minute, he braked hard enough to make his wheels squeal.

"You idiot! Get out of my way!" Sasuke yelled out his window.

"No! I want to talk to you, Sasuke."

"I have nothing to say!"

Naruto leaned over and placed his hands on the hood, his eyes locking with Sasuke's. "Come by my apartment. Next month. On the ninth." At Sasuke's confused expression, he added. "I'll remind you everyday that you have to see me next month. Each time, right as I say 'bye' or 'good night', I'll say, 'don't forget.'"

"You're not making any sense," Sasuke said, exasperated. Naruto didn't want to anger or annoy Sasuke further, so he left to find his car. He'd finally made the decision about when he'd confess to Sasuke. He was going to do it right before he transformed in front of the Uchiha at the next cycle.

* * *

><p>As soon as he got home, he called his mom and told her that he'd transformed last night without any problems. Although she seemed suspicious of his story, she didn't comment on it. Instead, she told him that he was a big boy and he shouldn't have to check in all the time concerning nights with the full moon.<p>

_"Do you still think Uchiha Sasuke is your mate?"_ Kushina asked softly over the phone. Naruto bit his lip.

"I'm not sure, mom. I'm going to give it more time."

_"I hope you'll introduce us before then. Do you think you can have him meet dad and me?"_

"I'll ask. Exams are coming up soon, so maybe right after. He also works for my professor so I'm sure he'll be busy grading, reviewing court cases…."

_"I see."_

They ended the call quickly after, and on top of having to worry about showing Sasuke his curse, he also had to introduce him to his family, which was probably worse. Although he loved his mom dearly, she was a bit crazy and too much like himself that even he became overwhelmed with her chipper attitude. He appreciated his dad's calmer, more mellow energy that perfectly balanced his mom's. Naruto always saw Sasuke as his polar opposite, except in the qualities that mattered the most.

The tension around him and Sasuke were starting to become noticed by others. Kakashi seemed the most intrigued by their short conversations and physical distance. Itachi didn't seem bothered by it, and treated them as he normally would. Hinata had asked Naruto during one of their weekly lunches if he and Sasuke had had a fight. Even Sakura and Shikamaru noticed it. After two weeks, just exams were coming to a finish, Naruto pulled Sasuke aside into an empty lecture hall.

"Are you busy this weekend?" Naruto asked quickly, knowing that they were both busy. "My parents would like to meet you."

"What is this, a meet and greet with parents month?" Sasuke looked exhausted, and Naruto genuinely felt bad for him. He wished there was something he could do for him, but until a bond was formed, only Naruto benefitted from Sasuke's scent. Even being near him now was calming his nerves and alleviating the stress of constantly studying. "I'll be busy this weekend, but I'll see what I can do. What day?"

Naruto refrained from rejoicing out loud. "Any day you want, just let me know two days before. My parents live two hours away so if you need to be back soon we can come back whenever you want. We can also go during our mid semester break."

"That'll be a better idea. I'll be done with grading by then."

"Ok. See you, Sasuke. Good luck. And don't forget." He winked at the dark haired man as he sprinted towards his study group for his last exam in the library.

Sasuke didn't contact him until the middle of their mid semester break. Naruto had been vegging out, sleeping and eating as he recuperated. When Sasuke had suddenly called and said that he was going to drop by, Naruto quickly showered and cleaned his apartment before the Uchiha showed up two hours later. He looked exhausted but relieved.

"How was grading?" Naruto asked, passing him a steaming mug of coffee. Sasuke breathed in deeply and sighed.

"Bad. Grading first year work is always the worst."

"How did I do?" Naruto asked hopefully. Sasuke smirked at him.

"You'll see."

"Aww come on."

"Ask Kakashi directly. He likes you enough." Naruto laughed at that.

They sat in silence, enjoying their late afternoon coffee. Naruto inhaled and relaxed at the pleasant, familiar scent of Sasuke. They hadn't seen each other in almost four days and it had been killing him.

"Hey, so I never asked you. How did that talk go with you dad?"

"I'll tell you another time." Sasuke's simple but firm response was enough to placate Naruto's curiosity.

"So, are you excited to meet my parents?"

"What's with that all of a sudden?"

Naruto chewed his lip, trying to come up with something to say that wasn't a direct lie. "They want to meet my new friend," he replied with a smile. Sasuke seemed to think things over for a bit.

"I don't see a problem with it."

"Awesome. I'll pick you up Thursday morning, and I'll have you back before midnight." Naruto was grinning now. He was so happy that Sasuke had agreed. He couldn't wait for his mom to meet him. He really wanted her to change her opinion about Uchiha's. His father wasn't really a concern, seeing that he was more easy-going and trusted Naruto's judgment about people. Kushina, on the other hand, was much too protective of her son. He started babbling about his parents and the rest of his crazy family to Sasuke, who decided that he wanted to rest for a bit. Even though he had just finished some coffee, the giant pillow next to him was probably too comfortable, and he was probably tired from trying to finish grading early. Naruto wasn't sure how long he'd been talking since Sasuke fell asleep, but he stopped and quickly found a small blanket to cover him. He returned to his seat and turned on the TV with the volume on low.

Sasuke woke up about two hours later, just as it was approaching dinner time. Naruto suggested that they go out and eat, and they wound up at a local sushi house that also made ramen. They ate and chatted for a while until Sasuke decided that he was too tired to function. Naruto drove them back to his place, and Sasuke drove back home.

Naruto couldn't have been happier. The pillow on the couch now smelt like Sasuke and he cuddled next to it as he watched TV. He couldn't wait for his mom to meet Sasuke. He really hoped they got along.

* * *

><p>"Naru-chan!" Kushina opened the door and embraced her son tightly even before he could unlock the door. Naruto squirmed, a little embarrassed at the nickname.<p>

"Hi, mom. It's good to see you," he said, hugging her back. He pulled away and gestured towards Sasuke. "This is Uchiha Sasuke, my very good friend."

"Nice to meet you, Namikaze-san." He held out the medium sized box he'd been carrying. It was a clear plastic box with a ribbon tied around it, and it was filled with strawberries. "Naruto tells me that these are your favorite. I hope you will enjoy them." To Naruto, the widening and glistening of his mom's eyes was a good sign.

"Thank you so much, Uchiha-kun. Please, come inside. I hope you boys are hungry!"

Naruto was enveloped in the warm, familiar scent of his home. His mom had made turkey sandwiches for lunch, and as they all sat and ate, they talked about Naruto's adjustment to law school.

"Geez, its like parent teacher conference or something," Naruto grumbled.

"You know, Uchiha-kun, all the way up until high school, Naru-chan's teachers did nothing but complain about how much he talked in class and couldn't keep still." Kushina smiled at the blush on her son. "He's so cute. Such a ball of energy. I have these pictures of when he was in baseball in elementary school. He was horrible at it but because he was so adorable yet determined, the other parents and coach let him stay on the team. I'll show them to you after lunch."

"Mom, no," Naruto whined, dragging out each word. He didn't care if he was looking like a baby in front of Sasuke now. Anything was better than him seeing those pictures. "Sasuke doesn't want to hear about my embarrassing childhood."

"Nonsense, Naruto," Sasuke said, smirking. "I'd love to see them."

The rest of the afternoon was spent looking at photo albums of Naruto from when he was an infant all the way up until he graduated from high school. Naruto couldn't believe how much his mom was telling Sasuke. She rarely got excited to bare all about him to others. There were pictures of his in his softball uniform when he was in elementary school and various other sports uniforms during his middle and high school years. There were also many pictures of him with a black lab that Naruto had gotten as toddler. When Sasuke left to use the restroom, she turned to Naruto quickly. She looked happy, and he wasn't sure if the tears in her eyes were from laughter or from something else.

"Mom, is something wrong?" Naruto asked worriedly. She shook her head, her red hair flowing from the action.

"He seems like a very nice boy, Naruto. He's very bright and handsome, and he's put up with me reminiscing about your days as a child."

"I don't think he really has a choice, mom," Naruto muttered.

"He smells nice, too. His natural scent is spicy and a little mysterious. There's something I can't read about him, kind of like when I first met your dad."

"Too many details," Naruto said quickly. "The full moon is this weekend." His mom nodded solemnly, a look coming across her face.

"Naru-chan, there's something very important I need to tell you…." Before she could continue, Sasuke entered just then, and Kushina brightened up as she patted the spot next to her on the couch.

"You have a very lovely home," Sasuke said, sitting down. "I see you mostly have natural lighting."

"Thank you. I'm glad you appreciate that. Oh! I haven't given you a tour! Naru-chan, why didn't you give him a tour?" Naruto grumbled something under his breath in response, but his mom told him to put the albums away while she showed Sasuke around.

Naruto did as he was told and caught up with them upstairs. There were three bedrooms and two full baths upstairs. The rooms had floor to ceiling windows covered with thick curtains to block out the sun. They stopped at Naruto's room and Sasuke looked inside, curious. Naruto had posters of musicians on the walls, a cluttered desk full of papers and other random things. There was a TV and game consoles on the shelves beneath it. Although the bed was made, it still looked like Naruto resided there.

"Is that a fox?" Sasuke gestured to the drawing over Naruto's bed. It was a red fox with a white belly simply sitting. It had black markings around its blue eyes, and white paws with a white tipped tail. "I feel like I've seen it before."

"Really," Kushina asked, pointedly looking at Naruto. Naruto laughed and quickly tried to shoo them out.

"Well, don't all foxes look like that? Hah hah."

"Not that red, I don't think," said Sasuke.

"Well, I was color blind as a child. Who wants some strawberries?"

"Being colorblind is a genetic disorder. It doesn't go away," Sasuke said, the word 'moron' hanging heavily in the air. Naruto laughed.

"Details, details," he said flippantly, leading them into the kitchen.

Later that evening, Naruto and Sasuke helped Kushina prepare dinner. At almost 8pm, a car pulled up, signifying that Minato had returned from work. Naruto was practically bouncing in excitement.

"Hey, son! It's good to see you," Minato said as he came through the door. He ruffled his son's hair and gave him a hug. "You look like you're getting taller every time I see you." Naruto was slightly taller than his dad. They were almost identical in looks and stature, except Naruto had a bigger build and his mom's wide, cat like shaped eyes.

"This is Uchiha Sasuke," Naruto said happily. Minato left his son to shake Sasuke's hand.

"It's a pleasure. Naruto's told me so much about you."

"I'm honored. I've heard a lot about you as well. Naruto really looks up to you."

"It'll be the other way around very soon." Minato smiled and went to greet his wife with a kiss on the cheek. "I'm starving! What's for dinner?"

The four of them ate chicken parmesan and salad as they chatted about Minato's work. They spoke about Sasuke as well, and it made Naruto's heart swell at the amount of things his dad and Sasuke had in common. Although most of it was in legal jargon that he had yet to learn, he found that they both liked cats, surfing, and camping. They probably sat for half an hour longer after dinner talking until Kushina told them to go elsewhere while she and Naruto cleaned up and made some dessert with the strawberries Sasuke brought. Once the two men were out of earshot, Kushina sighed.

"It's like when we entertained your dad's coworkers and friends," she said, readying the batter for strawberry shortcake. Naruto was clearing the dining table and loading the dishwasher.

"No kidding. I didn't expect them to talk so much. Sasuke never talks that much to me." He pouted.

"Naru-chan, you talk enough for people in an entire room."

"Thanks, mom," Naruto muttered sarcastically.

"Listen, about earlier, I think now is a good time to tell you." She paused in her ministrations and faced him. Naruto quickly started the washer and sat down. "Before I say anything, I hope this doesn't change your opinion on anything. I just wanted to let you know because you need to."

Naruto had a difficult time breathing. "Are you and dad getting a divorce?" he asked shakily. Kushina shook her head.

"No, no, Naru-chan!" She laughed as Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. "It's just…. The Uzumaki curse was given to us by an Uchiha." At Naruto's confused face, she continued, "The vengeful lover was an Uchiha who had loved our ancestor so much that she cursed him for falling in love with another woman. The reason why I was against Uchiha-kun from being your mate was because it didn't seem possible. That family wants nothing to do with us, Naru-chan."

Naruto was at a loss for words. "I…I don't get it."

"I know you feel like he's your mate, but history proves otherwise. I'm sorry, Naru-chan, but before you show him your form, maybe you should tell him how you feel first. Is there any indication that he might feel the same way?" She looked as if she was hurting just as much as he son was. Naruto steadied his breathing before replying.

"I've never…." His eyes were starting to burn at the prospect of Sasuke not being his mate after all. There was no indication that Sasuke felt anything for him other than friendship, but Naruto was the same way, right? That wasn't true. Naruto was always the one insisting that they spend time together and meet each other's families. He was the one that always felt breathless whenever they touched. A forced laugh escaped him, and he stood up to turn on the oven and take out a sheet pan. "You're right, mom. Maybe I was just confused."

"Naru-chan," she whispered, moving towards him. Naruto took the strawberries and turned his back to her as he cleaned and started to cut them up.

"It's ok. He's still my friend. My mate is out there somewhere."

They had dessert half an hour later in the dining room in silence. Minato looked like he could sense that something was wrong, and he tried to converse with Naruto, who merely picked at his slice of cake. Naruto brightened considerably and chatted with his dad as Sasuke and his mom had small talk on the side. Just as the time was nearing ten o'clock, Naruto decided that they should leave. His dad quickly pulled him aside and into his study.

"Hey, you okay, Naruto?" he asked, concerned. Naruto had given up a long time ago to stop pretending in front of his parents. They saw right through him each time.

"Not really, but I'll be ok," Naruto replied quietly, not wanting Sasuke to overhear them even though the door to his dad's office was closed.

"He's a bright young man, and what I make of him, he seems nice." Minato gave him a sunny smile. Naruto couldn't help but smile back.

"Yeah."

"Come back and visit again. I know you have a lot going on, but your mom really misses you."

"Ok, dad."

"Your mate is out there somewhere, son. I know you'll find the one soon."

They left the study and Naruto left with Sasuke a little later. His mom packed up some of the dessert and told them to share is among themselves. Naruto knew that Sasuke didn't like sweets, so it was nice that he was polite and took the container without complaining. Once they left, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief.

"They can be overwhelming, huh," he said. He saw Sasuke glance at him through his periphery.

"They're great. You must be adopted."

"Hah, hah, very funny," Naruto droned, but he smiled at Sasuke's smirk.

Naruto continued to drive in silence, lost in his own thoughts. He was still reeling over the fact that Sasuke couldn't be his mate because he was an Uchiha. Did Sasuke know of his ancestor's actions? Probably not. It wasn't like the Uchiha's were affected at all. They seemed totally fine, if not emotionally stunted.

"My dad took me out of his will," Sasuke muttered so quietly that if Naruto hadn't been so focused on him, then he wouldn't have caught it.

"What?" Naruto cried, quickly turning off the radio so that they could talk. "Really? He was that upset?"

"Yeah, Itachi's going to inherit everything instead, but its not like he wasn't going to anyway."

"I'm sorry, Sasuke, but I know you'll be fine. It's not like you can't fend for yourself."

"True. It's only fifty million in stocks and two of our vacation houses outside the country. He took away my share of the law firm, too." Naruto had to catch his breath. That was so much money. He knew that the Uchiha's were rich, but this was ridiculous.

"Are you upset about it?"

"Not as upset as I was to what he said before that," Sasuke replied softly. He shook his head. "At least I'm still an Uchiha."

Naruto laughed. "You'd still be an Uchiha even if your name changed to Namikaze."

"Why Namikaze?"

"Well, I mean, 'cause our families are kinda like opposites, you know?" Naruto chuckled nervously. He just realized that what he had said could have implications. Sasuke seemed satisfied with his answer.

"True. You probably wouldn't make a very good Uchiha either, but you'd make a good wife."

"What the hell? Eh, I'll just take that as a compliment."

Naruto dropped off Sasuke at his condo when it was a little passed twelve in the morning. He happily went to his apartment and placed the desserts in his fridge before turning in. His mind was on overdrive thinking about how much he sincerely liked Sasuke and what he was going to do about the full moon on Sunday night. He'd been reminding Sasuke about it almost every day, and he couldn't just back out of it. He was determined to show Sasuke his secret and hopefully it wouldn't be in vain.

* * *

><p>Naruto wiped his sweaty palms on the front of his jeans for the tenth time in the past half hour. He was so nervous, he hoped his armpits wouldn't become too sweaty and seep through his brown dress shirt. He planned on taking Sasuke for a bite to eat at a nice restaurant before taking them back here where he would confess and then transform. He paced frantically, trying to get his nerves to settle down. The door bell suddenly rang, causing him to jump.<p>

"C-Coming!" he said, quickly running into his bathroom to check his appearance. His deodorant was holding up, and he ran his fingers through his hair a couple times before patting his pockets as he approached the door. He took a deep breath and opened it, his breath stopping mid exhalation.

It wasn't fair that Sasuke looked good in everything he put on. His light blue button down polo shirt fit his form perfectly, as did his black pants.

"Ready to go?" Sasuke asked. Naruto finished exhaling and tore his eyes away from the site before him. It didn't help that he was particularly sensitive to Sasuke's scent. He had to fight the urge to forget about dinner, pull him inside, and rip all of Sasuke's clothes off.

"Y-yeah. Naruto turned off his lights and stepped out, reaching into his pocket for his keys to lock the door. "Your car or mine?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Mmkay. Let's take mine."

They went to an Italian restaurant per Sasuke's request. The place was small and family owned, but Naruto had never been closer to authentic Italian outside of the country itself. Sasuke was new to the place, but he seemed to like the menu, which made Naruto happy.

"How'd you find this place?" Sasuke asked, peering over the items.

"Online," Naruto replied cheekily. Sasuke nodded his head. "This place got lots of reviews."

After ordering food and wine, Naruto tried to find something to occupy his fidgety hands as well as something to talk about. He fiddled with his napkin and was about to say something when Sasuke spoke first.

"So, what's the special occasion?" The dark haired man was smearing butter on a piece of bread and Naruto watched his meticulous movements with rapt attention.

"You'll see," his blue eyes looked up to meet dark ones and he gave his best smile to hide his nervousness. "Night's hardly over."

"Mm."

"Thanks for agreeing to all of this," Naruto said more seriously. His gaze zeroed in on Sasuke taking a bite of the buttered bread. "You're probably still upset with me from the night of your mom's birthday." Sasuke chewed slowly and seemingly thoughtfully before swallowing. The waiter chose that moment to bring them two glasses and a red wine. He uncorked it for them and poured their glasses before retreating. Sasuke took his glass and swirled the red liquid languidly.

"I really haven't, but you were persistent and I was curious." He sniffed the wine then took a sip. Naruto watched a pink tongue to lap at the alcoholic residue on red lips. "Awesome wine."

"I'm glad," Naruto said as if in a daze. He wasn't sure how he was going to make it back to his apartment in one piece.

The rest of the dinner passed as they talked about everything from law school to dogs. Most of their conversations transitioned with appropriate segues. Others were started when Naruto would notice something and turn his attention to something completely unrelated. If Sasuke was frustrated, he didn't show it, but Naruto had ordered another bottle of the same wine to keep Sasuke occupied. He didn't want to get the other drunk, but just to loosen him up a little. Sasuke didn't seem like a drinker and was probably a lightweight.

"I really hope you can meet my friends sometime," Naruto was saying as he cut a slice of his chicken parmesan. "They're kinda like me so I'm sure you'd get along with them."

Sasuke snorted. "Great," he said sarcastically.

They finished their meals and Naruto made the excuse of going to the restroom in order to pay for their meal. He knew that Sasuke would probably fight him for it so that they could go dutch, but Naruto wanted to treat him. This was his first effort in courtship. Since he'd never dated before, he wasn't really sure how it went.

When he returned to the table, it seemed as if Sasuke had discovered what he was up to. Naruto tried to be as innocent at possible as he asked Sasuke if he was ready to go.

"What happened to the check?" Sasuke asked, his eyes narrow. Naruto stood and finished the last bit of his wine.

"Hm? Oh, I took care of it. You know, as an apology for ditching you that one time."

"Can I at least get the gratuity?"

"You can add more, I guess." Naruto watched as Sasuke pulled out his wallet and placed a twenty next to his empty wine glass. Sasuke stood with a slight sway in his step.

"Alright, let's go."

Naruto couldn't stop his hands from trembling regardless of how tightly he held the steering wheel, and he hoped that Sasuke didn't notice just how nervous he was. The last thing he wanted was for Sasuke to think he was some kind of wound up freak. Sasuke had probably already formed his conclusions concerning Naruto, and Naruto didn't want to add anything worse on top of what the bastard already thought of him.

As soon as they entered his apartment, Naruto made them both a cup of coffee. He sat next to Sasuke on the couch and faced him. Just was Sasuke was reaching for the TV remote, Naruto snatched it away. Sasuke looked like he was about to say something but paused at the serious expression on Naruto's face. Naruto closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, then opened them as he exhaled.

"What's going on?" "Sasuke, I really like you."

They both spoke at the same time. Sasuke's eyes widened considerably.

"What?"

"Y-yeah, I know you're probably not gay or anything, and I didn't think I was, either. Somehow, in the time that I've known you, I've come to really like you," Naruto responded quickly, his heart pounding. He tried keeping eye contact but Sasuke's expression became unreadable. "You don't have to say anything. And I'll understand if you don't feel the same way. I mean we're both guys and we argue most of the time, and…." Naruto trailed off, realizing that he was talking too much. He didn't consider what would happen if Sasuke rejected him, and he didn't want to.

After a short while, Sasuke sipped at his coffee and stared into its depths. Naruto watched him curiously and with bated breath. Sasuke didn't seem disturbed, but he didn't seem happy either. He seemed like he was giving Naruto's confession much thought. The smell of him was becoming much stronger, and Naruto feared he'd transform before hearing Sasuke's response.

"Why do you like me?" Sasuke asked quietly. Naruto blinked, caught off guard.

"I'm not sure. You're a bastard, but you're good looking and really smart." Naruto laughed and looked down at his hands fiddling. "I also like it when you frown, and the way your eye brows crinkle when you're concentrating. I like that you're blunt, and you never hesitate to say what's on your mind." He looked up at Sasuke to find dark eyes already trained on him. "I think what I like most about you is that you introduced me as your best friend to your dad, fully knowing how he feels about my family. That confirmed that you would make an excellent mate."

"Mate?" Sasuke echoed, confused. Naruto shifted closer to the Uchiha and leaned forward. Sasuke's scent became stronger, pulling a willing blond closer.

"There's something I need to show you." He leaned in closer until his cheek was against Sasuke's. "Do you trust me?" he whispered. There was a brief pause before he felt Sasuke nod is assent. Naruto inhaled deeply and sat back. He smiled brightly. It was all or nothing. "Ok, but I guess I should tell you a story, first."

Naruto told him about the curse on his maternal side of his family. He tried reading Sasuke's expression, but Sasuke kept his impassive look, his dark eyes betraying nothing.

"So the only person who could break this curse is someone who loves me and accepts me for who I am," Naruto concluded softly. "I don't expect you to love me, and I don't mean to burden you or make you seem pressured. I just get this feeling that we're meant to be together."

"That's a little one-sided, don't you think?" Sasuke said. It was the first time he'd spoken in the passed ten minutes.

"I know it is. As I said, I don't – "

"Is that what this is about? You think I'm your 'mate'? And that I'm supposed to break your curse?" His tone was taking an angry edge to it, which caused Naruto to panic.

"Sasuke, I'm not trying to use you or anything. I genuinely like you. Even if you aren't my mate," he paused as his heart gave a painful twinge at that thought, "even if you aren't my mate, I'd still like to see if we could work."

"Don't be ridiculous, Naruto. You'd leave me the instant you have an inkling that your true mate is anywhere near you." Naruto didn't know what to say to that, and his silence seemed to have been enough of an answer to make Sasuke place his coffee down and stand. "Thanks for the dinner, but I should get going," he said curtly. Naruto's heart nearly stopped, and he stood quickly.

"Wait, are you leaving?" The blond felt as if he was going to have a heart attack as he watched Sasuke walk to the door.

"Yes."

"But Sasuke!"

Sasuke's hand was on the knob, and his eyes were on the door. "Good luck, Naruto. I hope you find what you're looking for." He left, and Naruto had never felt lonelier than he did the instant the door clicked shut.

The transformation that night was painful. Naruto had crawled into the corner and stayed there, curled into a fluffy orange ball. He was whimpering, and his neighbors would probably complain to him the next morning, but he didn't care. Everything hurt, and if he never woke up as a human being again he wouldn't care. Sasuke's scent, which usually comforted him, only caused him pain, and the scent was still in his apartment. His mom had been right. There was no way that his mate was a cold blooded Uchiha.

* * *

><p>Dun dun dunnnnnnnn. lol. Idk, I found this last part to be a little lame. You guys probably saw it coming a mile away. Anyway, lemme know what you think, pls!<p> 


	4. Reaching Out

**Pilot**

Standard Disclaimer applies: I don't own anything.

Warning: angst... **LEMON, **which means sex between two men. Therefore, the rating on this chapter is **NC-17**.

_Reaching Out_

* * *

><p>Naruto opened his blurry eyes to the sunlight streaming in through his blinds. He wasn't sure what time it was, but he didn't care. He got up from the floor and crawled into bed, forcing himself to fall back asleep.<p>

The next time he woke up, the sun had moved on and his phone was ringing incessantly. He found it in his pants pocket and saw that his mom was calling him. He didn't want to worry her, but he didn't want to talk to her and make her worry even more, either. Sighing, he turned off his phone and crawled back into bed.

Several days had passed, and he'd missed at least three, if not four days of class. Naruto couldn't bring himself to care. He'd barely eaten, and only had enough mind to drink some water. He would probably regret skipping out on so many classes later, but what was the point? He could be successful at life, but he'd still be alone. He'd die by 40 at this rate. There was nothing in it for him. He had been sure that Sasuke was going to accept him. Naruto had felt it in his blood that Sasuke was the one. Unfortunately, Sasuke was an Uchiha as well as an uncaring bastard. He was probably hoping for Naruto to waste away and die here in his bed.

He vaguely heard rattling on his door. It was probably a couple of robbers trying to break in. It was late at night, probably around 10pm. He didn't care what they took as long as they left him alone. There was a slight fresh scent of Sasuke, and Naruto couldn't help but perk up at the possibility that Sasuke might be back.

"Who's there?" he croaked, his voice hoarse and slurred from disuse. The light turned on and Itachi was standing at the doorway of his room. "Itachi?"

"Good evening, Naruto," Itachi said coolly. His face slightly scrunched up. "Have you bathed at all?"

"I don't need to shower. Not like I have anyone to impress." Naruto sat up slowly, realizing that he was still naked.

"It's called personal hygiene. Why have you skipped classes? Kakashi's really worried."

Naruto found a pair of boxers by his bed and quickly slipped them on before standing. He could smell his own musk and knew that he probably smelt really bad. "How did you find my place?" he asked, stalking into the bathroom and turning on the shower. Itachi followed him.

"Some investigative work. You didn't answer my question." He stood off to the side as Naruto took off his boxers and slipped into the shower stall. Naruto wasn't sure why he bothered trying to be decent when Itachi was just going to follow him around.

"I didn't feel well," Naruto said over the sound of the water. He sighed as the warm stream splashed against his body. He felt sore, but it was probably because he had bed ridden himself and not used any of his muscles.

"Why not?" Itachi pried.

"Food poisoning."

"Why was your phone off? And you couldn't send an email to anyone?"

Naruto didn't know what to say. He knew Itachi wouldn't accept anything less than the truth, but he didn't want to give it to him. How could he tell Itachi that his little brother was the cause of all his misery? "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." Itachi didn't say anything else until he was done scrubbing himself clean.

They sat on Naruto's couch in silence, each of them holding a mug of coffee. Itachi looked as if he were patiently waiting for something, and Naruto, ever the talkative one, would eventually break down and spill his life story, so it came as a surprise when Itachi spoke first.

"Can I take you out to dinner?"

"Just call in. I know this great Thai place that delivers."

"Ok." Itachi sipped at his coffee as Naruto got up to fetch the menu from a drawer in the kitchen. He came back and gave it to Itachi, who took it and just stared at it. "Other than checking in on you on behalf of Kakashi, I was hoping you could tell me what was wrong with my little brother." Startled, Naruto looked up at Itachi. "Sasuke's been acting strange as of late."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked dejectedly, hoping he'd portray as much nonchalance as he wish he felt concerning Sasuke. "He seemed fine when I saw him last weekend."

"He seems listless and unfocused. It's very unlike him. I doubt it has anything to do with my family drama, so I figured something happened between the two of you." Itachi raised an elegant eyebrow expectantly. Naruto forced a laugh and shook his head.

"Nah, you know how Sasuke and I roll. We always fight and stuff, so nothing out of the ordinary."

"I see." Itachi focused on the menu and started reading it. Naruto gave an inaudible sigh and suggested his favorite dishes to him. They decided on the items they wanted and Naruto called to make the order. Itachi sat back and traced the rim of his mug idly. Naruto watched the motion of the slender finger moving along the edge. Sasuke, too, had long, thin fingers. "How do you feel about my little brother, Naruto?" Naruto, blindsided by the question, tried to steel his expression but Itachi was already gazing at him. He cleared his throat.

"Uh, that is, he's a good friend and my tutor. He's a bastard, but I know he's a good person deep down…." He picked at the invisible lint on the sweat pants he'd thrown on. "Other than Hinata-chan, he's the only other friend I've made here."

"So he's just a good friend to you?" To Naruto, Itachi sounded a little disappointed, but he was probably reading too much into it. Naruto nodded, not looking up at the older man. "Hmm. Well, I suppose there is nothing to be done. I know you're not telling me everything, which is fine. I always have a way of figuring things out." Just then, the door bell rang. Itachi quickly got up even as Naruto started searching for his wallet. When Naruto came back, Itachi had already paid for the food and tipped the delivery man. He tried to give the older man money, but Itachi smiled and shook his head.

"It's my pleasure. Don't worry about it."

They ate and watched a marathon of the cartoon that Naruto enjoyed, all conversations of Sasuke dropped. Naruto found that Itachi wasn't as frigid as he had first thought he was, and he could see why Kakashi liked him. Itachi was genial, charismatic, and devastatingly handsome. In contrast, Sasuke just looked like a stuck up brat, albeit a cuter one. Comparing the two was almost like comparing apples and oranges, however, Naruto could definitely see how the two were related. He idly wondered if Sasuke had the same gorgeous smile….

Itachi left just before 11, claiming that Kakashi would probably get jealous or punish him if he were to get home even later. Naruto was extremely grateful for the visit. It had pulled him out of the hole he'd decided he wanted to reside in during his misery. He quickly turned on his phone and booted up his computer in order to reacquaint himself with the real world.

* * *

><p>The next day, Naruto was practically dragging himself to Kakashi's class. He knew he had to remain focused but it was easier said than done. As soon as he entered the lecture hall, his nose instantly sought out Sasuke's scent, but there was no trace of it. Ten minutes after Kakashi started his lecture, Naruto realized that Sasuke wasn't going to be there that day. After the ninety minutes, Kakashi called him to his desk and handed him a thick manila folder.<p>

"I had some notes prepared for you," Kakashi said, his eyes filled with concern. "Are you alright? Itachi told me what happened."

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei, but please, you shouldn't help me so much."

"I'm allowed to favor students I see as gifted, aren't I?" The older man smiled, his eyes crinkling. "I know you have the potential to be a great lawyer. Have you recovered? Would you like more time?"

"No, I'm fine now." Naruto gave his best and brightest smile, truly feeling lucky to have supportive people in his life. "Thank you. I will be sure to thank Sasuke also." He took the envelope and tucked it away into his bag.

"Don't get discouraged," Kakashi suddenly said, startling Naruto. The older man gave him an encouraging smile. "He's very difficult to read and rarely warms up to anyone, like a stray kitty. But then again, if I were you, I'd just take what I want." Naruto made a face, not sure if that was any good advice.

"I'll try talking to him again. I can be quite persistent when I want to be!" Naruto said with more confidence than he felt. Kakashi patted him on the shoulder.

"Well, good luck then. He should be in my office."

Sure enough, Sasuke was there. Naruto smelt him before he entered the conference room adjacent to Kakashi's office. The Uchiha looked up at that moment, and there was no noticeable shift in his expression that told Naruto that his presence even mattered. Though it made Naruto's heart ache, he inched forward and locked the doors.

"Hey," he said tentatively, removing his bags and placing them on a chair. Sasuke nodded and resumed reading the files spread out in front of him. "Whatcha got there?"

"Just some files of Kakashi's," Sasuke replied. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you," Naruto said, coming closer. Sasuke looked tired, but otherwise as pristine as he usually did. There were dark circles under his eyes and a furrow in his brow that hadn't been there before.

"Even after I left you?" Sasuke retorted, shifting some papers around. Naruto sat next to him as slowly and carefully as he would next to a wild animal.

"I'm sure you had a good reason for it," Naruto supplied softly. "I'm not angry with you." How could he be? He'd already tried it but all his anger had faded during the time he'd spent moping under the covers. Sasuke's scent was still as potent and alluring as ever. Naruto had never experienced anything like this, and it had to be impossible that Sasuke didn't belong to him. Even now, Naruto wanted nothing more than to embrace him. As soon as he'd entered, he'd seen that Sasuke looked more tired than usual, as if he hadn't slept since they last saw each other.

"Why aren't you?" Sasuke's voice took a bit of a biting edge, and it startled Naruto. Dark eyes glared at him. "I hurt you and you still want to be around me?" Naruto nodded and smiled sadly.

"Of course. I know you won't accept me, but I've already accepted all of you, Sasuke." Naruto took a deep breath. "I lo – " The punch to his left cheek came out of nowhere. Naruto fell backwards off his chair and stared up at Sasuke's figure towering over him. He'd never seen the Uchiha look so livid before. It was as if Naruto had insulted his mother, not in the middle of a love confession.

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered in hurt, his cheek throbbing and his eyes burning. Sasuke moved the chair aside and kneeled down over Naruto's prone figure. He grabbed the blonde's collar and pulled him up until their faces were inches apart. Although Naruto was hurting, both physically and emotionally, he still couldn't find it in him to fight back.

"Why can't you just shut up and leave me alone?" Sasuke growled, shaking him. "Why did you have to come in and turn everything around?" Naruto braced a hand behind him and leaned in closer. He licked his lips in anticipation, and a shot of lust ran through him when he saw Sasuke's eyes follow the movement.

"Because I like you, you bastard. So let me kiss you." When Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, Naruto quickly closed the gap between them and pressed their lips together. The single contact was enough to send Naruto reeling, and he reached his tongue out to get a taste of his mate. His lips tingled and the sensation spread all the way to his fingertips and toes. Quite literally, the kiss with Sasuke was giving him goose bumps, and when he tasted the moist warmth of Sasuke's mouth, his body reacted almost violently.

Naruto pushed Sasuke back so that their positions were reversed, and he pinned Sasuke's arms down as he began to ravage him. Naruto's complete attention was on the warm, firm body beneath his and the wonderful scent it exuded. Once Sasuke's tongue started moving against his, Naruto moved his mouth away and attacked the pale flesh of Sasuke's neck. Sasuke moaned loudly and bucked his hips. Naruto lost it and bit and suckled harshly at the skin, determined to place a temporary mark on him. He would keep that flesh bright and purple until they were fully mated, no mater how long that was from now.

"Na-Naruto," Sasuke gasped, squirming. "Stop. Stop!" Naruto bit down one last time and leaned back to survey his handiwork. His blue eyes dilated at the sight of the hickey on Sasuke's otherwise pale, unblemished skin. He couldn't wait to strip him naked and color his entire body. "Naruto!" Sasuke cried more urgently. Naruto finally glanced up at him, causing Sasuke's eyes to widen a little. Naruto looked hungry, almost feral. Instincts were quickly consuming him and he wanted nothing more than to tear off Sasuke's clothes and take him violently. Judging by the flush on Sasuke's face and the tent in his dress pants, the Uchiha probably wouldn't mind too much.

"What is it, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, leaning back down. He released Sasuke's hands in favor of unbuttoning the white dress shirt beneath him. Sasuke stopped him.

"Anyone can walk in, and do you really want to do this here?" he asked urgently. The situation slowly brought Naruto back to his senses, although Sasuke's scent was still keeping him in a lust induced haze.

"No, I suppose not. I want you to be comfortable." Naruto kissed him again, slowly this time. Sasuke kissed back instantly, and they were probably making out for five minutes until they heard knocking on the door. Sasuke cursed, trying to push Naruto off of him, but Naruto wouldn't budge until he got a few more kisses in. "Alright, alright."

Sasuke quickly composed himself and buttoned up the collar of his shirt. Naruto frowned but it couldn't be helped. Once Sasuke was seated Naruto opened the door to see Sakura and Shikamaru.

"Why was the door locked?" Sakura asked angrily as she stormed inside, cradling a pile of papers. Shikamaru looked less than thrilled as he was carrying a similar load.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan," Naruto said sheepishly.

"Yeah well, just be more careful." She dropped the pile in front of Sasuke's and turned to glare at the blonde, but her eyes widened. "Oh my goodness, your face!" Naruto touched his cheek and winced. He had completely forgotten about it.

"Oh don't worry, I did worse." He glanced at Sasuke, remembering the hickey he'd placed. Sasuke looked away, obviously embarrassed and not trying to make anything obvious, although Shikamaru appeared as if her were studying their actions thoughtfully. Naruto wished everyone could see his marks on Sasuke, but they probably weren't something one marked flaunted. Sakura sighed and shook her head.

"Ugh, boys. Well, since you're here, help me and Shika sort through this stuff." Naruto complied happily.

It didn't really matter to him why and how Sasuke had responded to him, Naruto was just glad that he did. From pushing him away to suddenly kissing, Sasuke just proved to Naruto that there was much more he didn't know about the Uchiha. Sometimes, he really wished he knew what was going on in Sasuke's head.

An hour later, Kakashi joined them, and the team went over the case for the trial coming up. Naruto, who was reading the notes Sasuke had written for him during his absence, glanced up at the Uchiha every now and then only to catch him looking away at the same moment. Naruto smiled to himself. Although Sasuke didn't say it, he was sure that the dark haired man wanted their relationship to progress. The sexual attraction was there, which was a good sign, but Sasuke seemed to accept his confession...sort of.

* * *

><p>Over the course of the next two weeks, Naruto and Sasuke spent more time together. Naruto appreciated the slow progression of their relationship, and it wasn't long before Itachi and the others caught wind of it. Although he had difficulty keeping his hands to himself, he wanted to wait until Sasuke was ready. They hadn't really talked much about the specifics of their relationship and Naruto often wondered what Sasuke was thinking, but he figured it was best to just go with the flow.<p>

End of semester exams were approaching quickly, and neither Sasuke nor Naruto had much time to spend together. The next full moon was a week before finals, and Naruto didn't think that it was the right time to show Sasuke his true form. After all, only a month ago he had told Sasuke that he liked him, which had garnered a less than encouraging response. However, since their fight in Kakashi's conference room, Naruto was positive that he could show him his form during winter break. His family had a tradition of going skiing and snowboarding up in the mountains. He hoped that Sasuke could join him.

By the time Naruto left his last final, he felt like a zombie. His dad had told him that the first year of law school was difficult, but he didn't think he'd stress out so much. What made him feel better was that Sasuke was waiting for him in the parking lot.

"How was it?" Sasuke asked. Although he looked tired, his real work was going to come after during grading.

"Mm," Naruto mumbled, embracing Sasuke. The scent and warmth of the Uchiha was lulling him to sleep. Not to mention, the black trench coat made Sasuke look sexy. Naruto wouldn't mind unwinding with another intense make out session. They hadn't had much physical contact in a week.

"Dinner?" Sasuke murmured against his ear. Naruto shivered.

"Mm," he replied.

They went to the sushi place that Naruto frequented and where they had been once before. Since it was cold out, it was the perfect time for ramen, and Naruto could've died in bliss once they'd finished eating. Sasuke drove them back to his place, and Naruto collapsed onto the leather couch. Sasuke lifted Naruto's head and sat down, so that Naruto's head rested on his lap.

"What do you want to do tonight?" Sasuke asked, running his hands through smooth blond hair. Naruto made a low purring noise.

"Not much if you keep doing that," Naruto replied softly. "We could get some drinks. I could get wasted."

"Hn."

"I know of at least two parties." Sasuke's fingers were trailing down Naruto's neck and down his side. Naruto squirmed, feeling ticklish. The fingers then slipped underneath the material of his shirt, pulling the fabric up slightly. "Sasuke."

"I was thinking we could just stay in," Sasuke said quietly, his short nails dancing across Naruto's tanned skin and defined obliques. Naruto squirmed again.

"Sounds awesome." Naruto sat up with a smile and kissed Sasuke. Sasuke surprised him by quickly dominating the kiss. Naruto moaned and pressed closer, excited for where Sasuke's aggressiveness could take them. Although he had no intention of letting Sasuke dominate him (well, perhaps at a later time) the prospects of it excited him.

Sasuke gently pushed him back against the back of the couch and moved to straddle Naruto's waist. Naruto placed his hands on the narrow hips over his legs, but Sasuke took his hands and pinned them over his head. Naruto moaned as Sasuke trailed kisses down his neck and started nipping and sucking at the skin. The fact that Sasuke was trying to mark him made his heart race faster. He turned his head, offering every bit of his neck to the Uchiha. When Sasuke was done forming a perfectly round, purple mark, he released Naruto's hands and quickly pulled Naruto's shirt off. His dark eyes raked Naruto's well defined body hungrily.

"You look amazing," Sasuke whispered, his hands taking the path that his eyes did. Naruto flexed slightly, laughing when Sasuke looked unimpressed and twisted his nipples.

"Yeah, I build muscle easily," Naruto said, trying to hide his excitement as Sasuke pinched his nipples more seductively this time.

"Lucky," Sasuke murmured, leaning forward to kiss the dusky nubs. He sat back and started unbuttoning his dark blue polo. Naruto's eyes darkened as pale skin was revealed to him. Sasuke's chest was smooth and pale, just like the rest of him. Although he didn't have a body like Naruto's, his lithe frame revealed very little body fat and some definition. If he worked out, he could probably give Naruto a run for his money.

"You look great, too, Sasuke," Naruto said huskily, his eyes raking over Sasuke's lithe, toned body. "You're perfect." He eagerly brought Sasuke closer and kissed him again. The scent emanating from Sasuke's warm body was intoxicating, and he couldn't wait to get more of it. He could smell Sasuke's natural musk, and it made his pants feel tighter. Naruto kissed down Sasuke's chest and sucked at his pink nipples, nipping them slightly. Sasuke moaned and Naruto nearly lost it. The blonde forced himself to pull back and look up at Sasuke, who was flushed and panting through red lips.

"Wait, Sasuke, before I continue," Naruto said breathlessly, "you have to tell me you want this. I really won't be able to stop myself if we go any further." His thumbs rubbed Sasuke's hips. "I'll be ok with whatever you want." Sasuke took a deep breath and leaned forward, his breath ghosting over Naruto's collarbone. His hand moved downwards to massage Naruto's erection straining through his jeans. Naruto bucked up and moaned.

"All green," Sasuke whispered huskily, licking Naruto's neck. That was all Naruto needed.

The bigger male picked up the other and brought them both into Sasuke's bedroom. Naruto had a mind to turn on the light before placing Sasuke on the bed. He quickly joined him and they kissed as they kicked off their pants and underwear. Naruto sat up once they were naked to visually enjoy Sasuke's nude body. He couldn't remember how many times he had imagined this moment. Sasuke's long, pink cock lied against his flat stomach, pulsing with need. Naruto leaned back down and kissed down Sasuke's happy trail, eager to savor every inch of flesh revealed to him.

Sasuke squirmed and moaned beneath him, bucking slightly to get Naruto's mouth where he wanted it most. His fingers tangled in a mess of blonde hair, tugging, but Naruto was content to kiss and nip at Sasuke's pale inner thighs and hips. The scent of Sasuke's desire practically had Naruto's mouth watering, so it wasn't like he needed much coaxing to devour Sasuke's length.

Naruto's pink tongue lapped up at the precum, and Sasuke reacted almost violently. The Uchiha arched and moaned deliciously, breathlessly begging Naruto to "hurry the fuck up." Naruto grinned before taking the moist tip into his mouth and sucking powerfully. Sasuke nearly screamed. Naruto looked up as he swallowed more flesh and rolled his tongue along the under side, hoping to see more of Sasuke's sweet reactions. He wanted to reach down and stroke himself, just to relieve some of the ache that had built up, but he'd probably come as soon as he heard more of Sasuke's cries and pleas.

"Naruto," Sasuke moaned suddenly, trying to pull Naruto off of him but thrusting up at the same time, "I'm going to come if you don't stop." When Naruto doubled his efforts, he gasped sharply. "Naruto! Fuck!" The blond held Sasuke's legs open and down as he took Sasuke deep into his mouth. He gagged slightly, and Sasuke came with a low cry, bucking unsuccessfully against Naruto's hold. Naruto swallowed the warm seed as best he could before he sat up, coughing. He wiped the corners of his mouth and watched as Sasuke basked in his fading orgasm. His cock throbbed painfully, reminding him that he needed to find release and soon. Sasuke tasted better than he could have ever imagined.

Sasuke's eyes slowly opened and focused on the area between Naruto's legs, a look of trepidation crossing his features. Naruto gazed down at his large cock throbbing at attention, its weight causing it to dip just below a ninety degree angle. The blonde chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

"Uh, good thing I recently bought condoms, huh? I don't suppose you have Magnums." Naruto quickly dove for his pants and pulled out three condoms.

"Prepared?" Sasuke murmured in amusement. Naruto nodded.

"I've been waiting so long for you, Sasuke," Naruto said, lying down to cover Sasuke's body with his. They kissed languidly with building passion until they broke apart for air. "I want to make sure you're comfortable with this. Once we make love, there's no way you can get rid of me." He searched Sasuke's eyes for a hint of hesitation, but found none. Sasuke gently pushed him aside and rolled over to dig through his bedside table. He pulled out sample of lube, causing Naruto to grin.

"They were passing them out once," Sasuke explained, blushing. Naruto took a packet and ripped it open with his teeth. He quickly poured some onto his fingers and rubbed them around slightly. He brought those fingers down to Sasuke's entrance, gradually applying pressure with one finger before pushing inside. Sasuke squirmed, and Naruto poured more lube over his fingers. He added a second finger slowly, gauging Sasuke's expression. Although the Uchiha looked uncomfortable, he didn't look like he was in any immense pain. Naruto crooked his fingers and received a low groan.

"Ok?" Naruto breathed, leaving another mark on the nape of Sasuke's neck. He felt the dark haired man nod and spread his legs a little wider.

"Yeah. Keep going." Naruto continued thrusting his fingers slowly then added a third one, shuddering at how impossibly tight Sasuke was. He could barely move his fingers, and the muscles twitching around them only increased his arousal further. Naruto could blow his load just from feeling, seeing, and hearing Sasuke. The Uchiha was just too damn sexy and seductive. His soft mewls and low moans were making Naruto's cock pulse and drip precum. Naruto pressed against the bundle of nerves again and Sasuke screamed, arching off the bed. The blonde had no choice but to quickly get the show on the road.

"I'll do it!" Sasuke said hastily as Naruto fought to open the condom wrapper. Sasuke's nimble fingers tore through the wrapping and rolled the material down Naruto's cock. Naruto wished Sasuke would put his mouth around him, but that could happen later. He squeezed the rest of the lube onto his cock and pushed Sasuke down. He then picked up pale legs to rest over his elbows.

"Ready, Sasuke?" Naruto purred, the head of his length pressing teasingly against the puckered hole. Sasuke bit his lip, nodding. "I can't hear you," Naruto teased. Sasuke raked his nails down Naruto's chest.

"Fuck me, you goddamn moron!" Sasuke shouted. It was followed by a scream as Naruto entered him in one full thrust. There was no way Naruto could wait, and he pulled out before pushing roughly back in. Sasuke didn't seem to mind if his enthusiastic cries of pleasure were anything to go by. The way the Uchiha gripped the sheets and arched his back had Naruto bringing Sasuke's legs up to his shoulders and leaning forward for deeper penetration. Sasuke's eyes fluttered and his head flew back, exposing his pale neck littered with Naruto's love bites.

"Is that good, Sasuke?" Naruto said as he hammered into the body beneath him. "How does my cock feel?"

"Fuck, Naruto," Sasuke whimpered, meeting the blonde's heated gaze. "I'm gonna come soon." Naruto smirked and grabbed Sasuke's erection, pumping in time with his thrusts.

"Then come, Sasuke." Just like that, Sasuke arched off the bed as his second orgasm of the night hit him. Naruto rode out Sasuke's orgasm, barely conscious of Sasuke's moans as he forced himself not to stop but not to follow as well. Once Sasuke was limp, looking as if he was fading in and out of consciousness, Naruto pulled out, ripped off the condom and came all over Sasuke's abdomen and chest, his thick seed mingling with Sasuke's. He groaned as he pumped himself, marking Sasuke, and he couldn't wait until he was able to release his seed into Sasuke's warm body. For now, this would do, and decorating Sasuke's flushed, pale skin wasn't a bad consolidation for the moment.

Naruto collapsed beside the prone Uchiha, panting heavily. Sasuke's breaths were quieter now, but he looked as if he were going to fall asleep. Naruto leaned over and licked at the spilled essence over Sasuke's nipple, moaning as he tasted himself and Sasuke together. Sasuke watched him and made a face, pushing his head away.

"Let's take a shower."

The warm water cascaded over them as Naruto reverently washed Sasuke's body. He ran his hands over Sasuke's torso to rub off the cum and down between perfect butt cheeks to get rid of all the lube. He massaged the abused hole gently and elicited a quiet moan.

"I'm sorry I was so rough," Naruto said, kissing Sasuke's back. "I meant to go slow and make you enjoy it, but I couldn't stop myself. Even now, I want to make love to you again."

"Shut up, idiot," Sasuke said, turning around in Naruto's embrace. He gave a small smile. "Perhaps later, after I recover a little."

"Mm," Naruto hummed, kissing Sasuke. They finished the rest of their shower and made their way back into the living room. They threw off the soiled comforter and Sasuke took out his spare blanket. They cuddled beneath the sheets and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, Naruto got up earlier to brew some coffee and make breakfast. He familiarized himself with Sasuke's kitchen as he took out a pan and started cooking some eggs. For all he knew, Sasuke's probably didn't eat breakfast, which was fine because he could always eat them. Better safe than sorry.

Sasuke joined him just as he was making coffee. The Uchiha wrapped his arms around Naruto's midsection, and Naruto melted into the embrace. Naruto turned around to take in Sasuke's disheveled appearance. His dark hair was in different directions and he still looked a little tired. Naruto hoped he would have slept in more to recover faster but that probably didn't work for people other than himself.

"Morning, sunshine," Naruto said, kissing Sasuke on the lips. "How do you feel?"

"Good." Sasuke went over to the counter and found the eggs and toast. "Thanks for breakfast."

"No problem. It was my pleasure."

"I have to go to the university soon, so I'll call you when I'm done?"

"Yeah."

After they ate, Sasuke got ready to leave. They parted ways soon after, and Naruto drove back to his apartment, feeling listless. Usually during his school breaks he would go somewhere with his friends, but some of them had moved across the country for graduate school and he wasn't sure if they'd come back and visit. That being said, Naruto decided that he'd just clean his apartment as he had neglected it during his finals.

Sasuke called him four hours later, and he came over to Naruto's place where they spent the rest of their day watching TV. It was getting cold out, as winter was just around the corner. Naruto didn't mind staying in to keep warm with Sasuke. He wouldn't mind doing this for the rest of his life.

* * *

><p>Naruto wasn't sure when he'd make a second attempt at showing Sasuke his curse. A couple months passed and Naruto was still hesitant. Sasuke was receptive towards him, and although they were a couple Naruto wasn't really sure how Sasuke felt about him. Naruto was sure that he loved Sasuke, and that Sasuke was his mate, but the last time he had tried explaining that to the Uchiha, Sasuke had flipped out. Naruto liked their slow and steady pace, however, he was anxious as well, and he was beginning to doubt himself.<p>

Although Sasuke was physically involved with him, he never communicated his emotions towards Naruto. Every time Naruto told him how much he liked him, Sasuke seemed to pull away. Sasuke would quickly change the subject or ignore the statement. Every time Naruto leaned in for a kiss, Sasuke would turn his cheek or turn away. Naruto wasn't sure what to do except to try harder in impressing the Uchiha. After all, he had to woo his mate, right? Naruto had to show that he was fit to be a worthy life partner.

Sasuke didn't seem interested, and although he indulged in Naruto's physical attraction to him, he hardly ever responded to Naruto's emotional attraction to him, and he showed no signs of reciprocating them anytime soon. Naruto wanted Sasuke to want him. He wanted Sasuke to decide for himself that he wanted to be with Naruto forever. Naruto figured that he should find some advice.

Naruto sat with Hinata at a coffee shop halfway from where they lived. They were on winter break so they couldn't meet at the campus cafeteria as usual. Hinata looked thoughtful as she sipped at her coffee.

"I haven't really dated before, Naruto," she said shyly, a blush creeping up on her face, "but I'll help you however I can." Naruto's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

"You really haven't dated before?" he cried, causing heads to turn in their direction. More calmly, he said, "I mean, that's really surprising. Any guy would be lucky to have you." Hinata smiled.

"Thanks, Naruto, but my father is really traditional and prefers arranged marriages or one set up by a match maker."

"That's too harsh and archaic. Tell him that you can't force love."

"One day, I will," Hinata replied. "So, you're not sure how Sasuke feels about you? I'm honestly not sure if he feels anything, Naruto." Naruto sighed, staring at the coffer cup in his hands. The warmth seeping through the cup felt good against his skin.

"Mm yeah, maybe," he said distractedly.

"Try asking Itachi-san. He might know something."

"Right, I don't know why I didn't think about that sooner." Naruto laughed, feeling a little better, and changed the subject back to Hinata's lack of relationships. Although she seemed shy talking about it, she opened up to him about the fact that most of the marriages in her family were arranged. Naruto listened to her attentively and wondered if he could try hooking her up with his best friend from home. The guy was a complete wild card (much like Naruto) which would be perfect for a shy, introverted woman like her. She was focused, smart, and good looking. His best friend, Kiba, was somewhat intelligent, attractive, and loved dogs. It all made sense in Naruto's mind.

Naruto set up another time for them to hang out just before New Years', and although she said she might be busy, she would try to meet with him. Naruto decided that he'd also invite Kiba, too, which would be a great time for them to meet. He'd never played match maker before (only wingman, which hardly ever went well) but he was confident he had made a good match.

As soon as he got home, he decided to email Itachi and ask some questions about Sasuke. As Naruto waited for a response, he went out to buy some groceries for dinner. When he opened his email, he saw that he had received a response from the older Uchiha brother.

_Hi Naruto_

_It's unfortunate that my little brother has been acting strangely towards you lately. I have not spoken with him about such matters but I have noticed some positive changes in him – changes which have been brought upon him by you. My little brother can be quite foolish at times, but that is mostly my fault. I have spoiled him and encouraged him to believe that the world revolves around him. I digress, but please believe me when I say that my little brother is very fond of you. He may not show his emotions outwardly towards you, a trait he and I share, but I can assure you that you are someone who matters to him. Sasuke has been quite lonely, but since you have entered his life I have observed him to appear less and less withdrawn. One thing you must understand that he is quite prideful and stubborn, and I hope this does not detour you from courting my little brother. _

_He will eventually tell you want you want to hear. All I ask is that you be patient with him. _

_Good luck. _

_Itachi_

Naruto reread the email a few times and sighed. He didn't know how much more patient he could be. He could feel himself falling deeper in love with Sasuke with each day that passed, and it was becoming more and more difficult not to tell him that. The last thing he wanted to do was force Sasuke into anything. The way Sasuke had reacted when Naruto had first told him the truth was not something Naruto wanted to experience ever again.

The Christmas season gave Naruto high spirits. He thoroughly enjoyed Christmas shopping, and although he didn't have much spending money, he tried to get his parents gifts as well as his friends. Sasuke would probably be the hardest the shop for, but Naruto was excited for the challenge. Sasuke could easily buy anything he wanted so he knew he had to find something unique for him.

He dragged Sasuke out a few times to go to the mall. The Uchiha was grumpy and acted like a complete Scrooge, but he still bought gifts for his brother and Kakashi as well as his colleagues Sakura and Shikamaru. Naruto was happy that Sasuke was so indulgent towards him, and it gave him more hope that Sasuke would eventually accept him.

"Let's look in the pet store!" Naruto said, practically dragging Sasuke with him. Sasuke wrenched his arm free once they got inside but looked around with Naruto anyway. Naruto went to look at the puppies in the fenced areas on the floor. "Do you like animals, Sasuke?"

"Hn. Not really," Sasuke said, peering into the cat cages. A small black kitten rubbed itself against the metal bars and he stuck out a finger to touch it.

"They're so cute. I really miss my dog." He felt Sasuke come up behind him.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke said, touching his elbow. That touch alone was enough to comfort Naruto, and he turned around with a smile.

"It's ok. I just don't do very well after I lose those closest to me."

They ate an early dinner at the food court while a group of high schools kids wrapped their gifts for a small donation. They went to Naruto's place soon after and spent time watching movies on Netflix. Naruto could sense that Sasuke wanted to do something else, but he tried to stall for as long as possible, wanting to separate physical pleasure from his emotions. Although he enjoyed making love to Sasuke, he didn't think he should if he didn't want to make a fool of himself. He had resorted to hiding in the bathroom quickly after sex to prevent himself from spilling his heart to Sasuke.

"Is there something wrong?" Sasuke asked after failed attempts at getting Naruto naked. Each time he tried, Naruto would shift or get up to do something random in the kitchen. Naruto turned to him and gave him a smile.

"Nothing's wrong," Naruto replied, not exactly lying. Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"Then why aren't you responding to me?" Sasuke asked, facing Naruto. He tilted his head slightly as he gave a small, coy smirk. He ran a finger lightly down Naruto's chest and stopped at his belt buckle. Naruto shifted and tried to keep his focus on the show.

"I-I'm just tired, you know? From all the shopping." Naruto bit his lip as Sasuke's same finger slipped the loose end of Naruto's belt from a loop. The next obstacle was the buckle. Naruto felt himself hardening and stood quickly. "Sasuke, I've been thinking." The look on Sasuke's face turned serious and confused. "Maybe we shouldn't do anything…physical… for a while."

"What are you talking about, moron?" Sasuke asked, all signs of playfulness gone. He sounded upset. Naruto gulped. It was do or die time.

"I just…." Naruto sighed heavily and sat back down. "You know now I feel about you, but I don't know anything about how you feel about me. I'm worried that this is just a physical thing for you. I have to be honest," his blue eyes gazed soulfully into Sasuke's dark ones, "the more intimate we are, the harder it is for me to contain my feelings for you. You already know that I think you're my mate, and you made it clear a while back that you didn't feel the same." He panted, somehow out of breath after his whole spiel.

Sasuke's expression had become expressionless sometime during Naruto's speech, and Naruto fidgeted anxiously. What if Sasuke decided that he wanted to end things because of what Naruto had just said? What if what they had really was physical from Sasuke's perspective? What then? Would Naruto be able to end things just because of that? Probably not. Naruto would most likely put up with anything Sasuke did to him.

"Let me ask you something, idiot," Sasuke murmured, leaning in close. Naruto gulped again at the serious look in Sasuke's eyes. "Do you honestly think that I'd be here with you, in this moment, after everything that has happened, if I didn't care about you?" Sasuke licked his lips, suddenly looking unsure, and Naruto felt like apologizing for cornering him even though he knew he wasn't at fault. "All I know is that I like being around you." Naruto smiled at the faint blush rising on Sasuke's cheeks.

"I suppose that's good enough for now," Naruto said happily, pushing Sasuke back towards the other end of the couch and pinning him. "But that doesn't let you off the hook." Sasuke chuckled, and Naruto could never get used to how devastatingly handsome Sasuke was when he laughed or smiled. Even if he were to spend a lifetime with Sasuke, Naruto didn't think he'd get tired of it.

"Hn. I didn't think so," Sasuke said huskily as Naruto leaned in closer. Naruto grinned and just kissed him on the cheek. Sasuke pouted.

"Your brother warned me about that look," Naruto said, sitting up. Sasuke got up on his elbows behind him. "He said," Naruto changed his voice to a deeper tone, as if trying to imitate Itachi's, " 'When my little brother wants something and doesn't get it, he'll pout until he does. Unfortunately, he's trained everyone in this way, and I'm sure you'll fall privy to it as well, Naruto-kun.'" Sasuke rolled his eyes but smirked.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Naruto said, laughing. "I'm still not kissing you until I get what I want, and I can be as stubborn as any Uchiha."

"Hn. Doubt it." Sasuke sat up still facing Naruto and pouted, his pink lips puckering out slightly. Naruto wanted to laugh at how ridiculous the aristocratic Uchiha Sasuke looked with a little kid's pout, but that's what made him so irresistible. Naruto just felt like coddling Sasuke, and although he was aware that he was being manipulated, maybe he could indulge Sasuke this one time. Naruto gave him a quick peck on the lips, and they both laughed at the childishness of the situation.

"I hope you can come to like me as much as I like you, Sasuke," Naruto said quietly once they'd settled back down to watch TV. He felt Sasuke nod against his chest, but didn't hear a verbal reply.

* * *

><p>Hmm, probably was too soon for them to get together, but this is how I felt the story should go... More drama coming up, so stay tuned! Thanks for readings =]<p> 


	5. Progress

**Pilot**

Standard disclaimer applies

Warnings: **lemon** (again, I know, I can't stop), hints of crime.

_Progress_

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><p>Naruto spent Christmas at home and made plans to spend the New Year's with Sasuke. Although Sasuke hadn't confirmed anything yet, seeing as his family had parties to attend, he would most likely spend it with Naruto. Since Sasuke had basically been renounced by his father, Sasuke avoided his family more than he had before. He had asked to spend Christmas with Naruto, but Naruto had insisted that he spend it with his family. Also, because Itachi wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, Sasuke had to do his brother's bidding and go to the family dinner. Naruto hadn't heard much from Sasuke since then, but he hoped that everything had gone well.<p>

He had gotten Sasuke passes to go snowboarding with him during the winter up in one of the popular mountains. Sasuke had gotten him a touch pad, and although Naruto had asked – begged – for him to take it back, Sasuke had insisted, saying that even a moron like him could find good use for it. Obviously, Sasuke had lots of money to spend, but Naruto had been looking for something more sentimental than expensive. Sasuke probably wasn't used to getting people gifts. He had gotten Itachi a Dyson vacuum and his mother a new desktop.

They met up a few days before New Year's. Naruto had been dying without Sasuke's presence and scent around him during the past few days. He had gotten so used to being around Sasuke that it was hard to go without him. Naruto didn't think about what that implied. He was just more concerned with seeing Sasuke as soon as possible and inhaling his scent.

"How was your Christmas, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, still clinging to him at the doorway of Sasuke's apartment. Sasuke didn't complain about it as he closed the front door and made his way to the couch, bringing along the blonde still attached to him.

"Silent, mostly. I spent most of my time with Kakashi and Itachi."

"Do your parents know that they're together?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Most likely, but I don't know." Sasuke kissed the top of Naruto's head, a surprisingly intimate gesture. "How was yours?"

"It was fun. My aunt and uncle came over. They're really crazy."

"Explains a lot."

"Hey!" Naruto cried, glaring at Sasuke. "You should talk!" Sasuke shrugged, then gave him a small smile. Well, not so much a smile as it was a leer.

"Did you miss me, Naruto?" The low, husky way that Sasuke asked him that made Naruto shudder and bite his lip. Of course he missed the bastard, more than he cared to admit.

"What about you? Did you miss me?" Naruto asked, leaning away with his head down. Sasuke moved in closer, trapping him against the couch.

"I asked you first." Naruto reached up and touched Sasuke's shoulders, clenching the material of his white polo.

"You know I did," the blonde responded quietly, looking up to lock gazes with the Uchiha. Sasuke kissed him just then, urgently and passionately. Naruto moaned, holding onto Sasuke as Sasuke pushed him down and moved to his neck. "We should move." It had been so long since they'd intimate, approximately two weeks since he'd decided not to let Sasuke seduce him, but at this point, they both wanted it equally as badly and Naruto could put off his principles for a moment.

Sasuke released Naruto and got up, grabbing his wrist and pulling him into his bedroom. Naruto slowed Sasuke's movements and smiled, undressing Sasuke. Sasuke understood and began undoing Naruto's jeans.

Although he knew Sasuke wanted to rush things, Naruto took his time in reacquainting himself with his boyfriend. He marked Sasuke's pale skin with love bites as he made his way down the Uchiha's perfect body. He stopped at the red, dripping erection and decided to move around it, kissing and licking Sasuke's hips and inner thighs. He inhaled Sasuke's musky scent which aroused him even further. Slender fingers locked into his unruly blonde hair, clenching harshly. Naruto laughed rather than winced.

"Damn it, moron. Get on with it." Naruto looked up at him.

"I want to go slow this time, Sasuke," he murmured against a pale thigh, though not pale for long, Naruto thought with a grin. He began sucking on the soft flesh, adding his teeth to create another hickey. Sasuke bucked, his grip on Naruto's hair tightening.

"We went slow for two fucking weeks!" Sasuke growled, sitting up and glaring at Naruto. "Take some responsibility!" That struck a cord in Naruto, and Sasuke released him as he sat up and glared right back.

"You want me to fuck you, Sasuke?" Sasuke nodded, looking intimidated. Naruto smirked and pushed him back down onto the mattress. "Then get ready."

Naruto took Sasuke's belt from the loop of his pants and brought it to the bed. Before Sasuke could say anything, Naruto took the belt and bound the Uchiha's wrists together. He then got out the lube and condoms, quickly uncapping the bottle and pouring its contents onto his fingers. He knew he'd have to prepare Sasuke thoroughly, but he figured the Uchiha wanted a little bit of pain. Naruto pushed a finger inside and bent down to suck on Sasuke's arousal at the same time. Sasuke groaned and rolled his hips, as if trying to get both stimuli. Naruto inwardly smirked; he was going to have fun teasing Sasuke.

Naruto quickly added his second and third fingers while he sucked harder and faster. Just as Sasuke was about to come, Naruto removed his mouth and roughly thrust his fingers into Sasuke, hitting the dark haired man's prostate each time. Sasuke cried out as he came, his cum spurting in the air then landing on his chest. Naruto brought his other hand up to stroke the quivering penis, milking out the last of Sasuke's essence.

"St-stop…. Stop, Naruto," Sasuke whined, trying to push Naruto's hand away from his erection with his bound hands. Naruto released him and licked his fingers. He also withdrew his other hand and fished for the condom without breaking eye contact with Sasuke. He ripped the wrapper with his teeth and started to roll the condom onto his straining cock, which was purple, pulsating, and wet.

"You're so sexy, Sasuke," Naruto murmured, pouring lube onto his gloved penis. Sasuke watched, almost as if drugged, as Naruto slowly stroked himself to spread the lube. "Any last words?" Sasuke's hazy, lust filled eyes locked onto his.

"I need you."

Naruto felt his cock pulse in his hand, and he growled as he flipped Sasuke over onto his elbows and knees. They'd never done it like this before; Naruto had always wanted them to be facing each other, but this time, it was about release and dominance. He would make sure that Sasuke would always want him like this. Even if Sasuke decided that he didn't want him, his body would still remember Naruto's touch. Even if Sasuke tried to satisfy his needs through someone else, they would never be enough. Naruto wouldn't mind doing this for Sasuke because, in his mind, there was no one else like him in this world – his _mate_.

He spread Sasuke's butt cheeks to reveal the red, puckering hole, and he thrust in roughly, groaning at the feel of Sasuke's tight heat encasing him in this new position. Sasuke had screamed, squirming as if he were trying to get away. Naruto held onto the globes of flesh in his hands and squeezed them in warning.

"Trying to get away?" Naruto growled, rolling his hips. Sasuke cried out and scratched at his comforter.

"Oh, fuck, Naruto!" Sasuke whined, his voice a pitch higher than usual. "Hold on for a sec." Naruto leaned down and gave a shallow thrust, reveling in the way Sasuke moaned and squirmed again.

"No, I don't think I will." Naruto straightened back up and pulled almost all the way out before pushing back in. The feel and sight and sound of Sasuke were unbelievable. His only regret was that he wouldn't be able to come inside Sasuke's hot, tight, quivering body, but that had to wait until they were mated. The muscles on Sasuke's back moved under the surface with each of Naruto's thrusts, and although Naruto felt guilty for causing Sasuke any pain, his and Sasuke's need dominated it.

Sasuke's cries filled the entire apartment as Naruto continued to plow into him, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, but with the same amount of force at either speed. Sasuke had come again without Naruto stroking him, and he was begging for Naruto to come.

"Naruto," Sasuke gasped, his aching cock dripping onto the puddle in his comforter, "fuck! I can't. It's too much." Naruto stopped and turned him over onto the side of the mattress that wasn't completely spoiled. Sasuke's face was red and there were tear tracks around his eyes. His lips were red from constantly being bitten, but what caught Naruto's attention was Sasuke's swollen cock. He took the rigid flesh into his mouth and started laving it with attention. Sasuke moaned but didn't complain. Naruto quickly brought him to completion this way, eagerly swallowing the thin fluid as it spurted down his throat. He released Sasuke's wrists from the belt, and Sasuke's arms immediately wrapped around him. They kissed as Naruto eased his way back inside the Uchiha, slowly making love to him until he finally reached his orgasm.

Emotions were quickly welling up in Naruto, but he was too tired and satiated to make his usual getaway. He tended to say whatever was on his mind, and as he laid there on top of Sasuke, he said the first words that came to his mind.

"I love you, Sasuke."

Naruto didn't realize what he had just said until he saw Sasuke's reaction. Sasuke pushed him off and got up to go to the bathroom, limping slightly. Naruto took off the condom and threw it in the trash. He sat there, dejected and lost, unsure of what to do. Obviously, he had struck a cord in Sasuke. He didn't know what to do. He didn't want to follow him in there if he was only going to get rejected again. Naruto decided he'd just put his clothes on and wait until Sasuke was done.

Twenty minutes later, Sasuke came back with a towel around his waist and another he was using to dry his hair. Naruto wanted to say something, but Sasuke didn't look like he was in the mood to talk.

"Are you mad at me?" Naruto asked quietly after a while. Sasuke went to find clean clothes in his closet. Naruto had thought that Sasuke was just going to ignore him but he finally replied.

"It was just unexpected."

"I know, and I'm sorry. It just slipped. You're probably not ready for anything, and I'm trying to be patient, but if I'm waiting for something that isn't going to happen, then please let me know." Naruto felt his eyes beginning to burn. He couldn't believe he was about to cry over some asshole who didn't love him. Sasuke had said he'd cared about him, but Naruto wanted more.

"Why do you have to rush things? Aren't things fine the way they are?" Sasuke asked irritably, re-entering the room fully dressed. "You don't even know enough about me to love me, Naruto. It's as simple as that." Naruto lowered his head. "You're just stuck with me because of a stupid curse you inherited from your family." The blonde's head snapped up at those words, his eyes widening in surprise. Sasuke quickly looked away as he fought a blush.

"Is that what you're upset about, Sasuke?" Naruto asked softly, finally understanding Sasuke's hesitation in their relationship. "You think I'm _forced_ to love you?"

"I didn't say anything like that," Sasuke replied defensively. Naruto stood and walked towards him.

"Hey, look at me."

"No." Naruto smiled at Sasuke's stubbornness and wrapped his arms around him. Even though Sasuke was fresh from the shower, Naruto could still make out Sasuke's natural scent.

"I shouldn't have explained things the way I did. I'm pretty dumb with words." He felt Sasuke nod in agreement. "I don't love you because you're my mate. I love you because you're Uchiha Sasuke, the biggest bastard in the world. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to prove to you that my feelings are mine, and not something that magically came to me as soon as I breathed in your scent."

"What scent?" Sasuke asked dubiously, fixing Naruto with an odd look. Naruto pulled back and laughed sheepishly.

"Umm, I can't explain it. It's very unique to you, and it stands out above everyone else's. I could probably find you a mile away, but I really don't want to try." Naruto smiled. "I want to be with you always."

Sasuke snorted, but looked flustered. "Idiot, don't say stuff like that frivolously." Naruto's gaze turned serious.

"I'm not. I'll only say it to you, Sasuke." Sasuke moved away from him and started pulling off his soiled comforter to wash. Naruto watched, thinking back on Itachi's words of advice. He felt confident that he was doing things right with Sasuke, and all he had to do was be patient. Naruto didn't have much experience with courting, if any. The past two girlfriends he'd had had approached him, and he had liked them enough to date them for a little bit to see where things went. His mother had always told him that he'd know who his mate was instantly, but shouldn't jump ahead without first courting the person. She didn't have to court his dad, since he was the guy in the relationship, but Naruto had heard stories from Minato saying that Kushina had done her fair share of courtship. She was an active person, after all, a trait she had passed on to Naruto.

"Where'd you learn how to fuck like that?" Naruto blinked, coming out of his daze. Sasuke scowled at the lack of immediate response. "Nevermind. I don't think I want to know."

"I'm not sure myself," Naruto said, blushing. "Something just came over me. Oh!" His eyes widened in panic. "I didn't even apologize for hurting you! I'm so sorry, Sasuke. I went too far. Your wrists, your um, down there – "

"I'm fine," Sasuke cut in. "And we're adults, moron. Call body parts what they actually are. Now go shower. You reek of sex." Naruto smirked playfully and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Round two?" he asked suggestively. Since they hadn't been intimate for so long, his body was revved up from the close proximity of Sasuke. Sasuke responded by throwing a pillow at his face.

"No!"

* * *

><p>Naruto was happy. Sasuke had surprised him by taking him up to a penthouse suite of a hotel to watch the fireworks for New Year's. They invited Itachi, Kakashi, Shikamaru and Sakura for a little get together, and they in turn invited their own friends. What was meant to be a little celebration had turned out into an all out party with nearly twenty people there. Hinata came with her cousin, Neji, and a couple of their friends. Sakura knew a whole bunch of people, including a blonde named Ino that wouldn't stop staring at Sasuke until Naruto made it clear what orientation the Uchiha was. Naruto was a little sad that his friends couldn't show up, but they were in different areas anyway.<p>

"Looks like we'll be needing more alcohol and food," Sasuke muttered in the corner away from the crowd and music. Naruto laughed at the sullen expression on Sasuke's face.

"Mm yeah. I think Itachi's already taking care of that." Naruto had had a fair amount of drinks and was already feeling it. "Let's go dance, Sasuke! Pleeeeaaaaase!" He pouted, trying his best to imitate Sasuke's powerful one. Sasuke just looked disgusted.

"I'll join you shortly."

"Okay!" Naruto didn't even question him as he kissed him on the cheek, downed the rest of his beer, and left to go to the center of the crowd. He enjoyed parties, especially the ones he'd had back in his undergraduate years. Although he should have spent more time studying than partying, he was able to do well by cramming and getting help from his amazing friends during study sessions. His motto was to work hard and play hard. Life was too short to do only one thing and regret not having done the other.

He lost track of time and the number of songs that passed before he realized that Sasuke had not joined him in the crowd. Although Naruto was having fun dancing with random people, he left to search for his boyfriend, quickly noting that the food and alcohol had been re-stocked. When he saw Sasuke again, the Uchiha was talking with Itachi and Kakashi at the same spot he'd been last time.

"Sasuke!" Naruto whined. "You said you'd join me." Sasuke turned to him, smirking.

"I got distracted by these guys," Sasuke responded gesturing to the two older men. He beckoned Naruto to sit next to him, and Naruto happily sat half of his butt on the armrest of the chair. "You're just in time. It's almost midnight." Naruto'd forgotten what time it was, and he looked to see that people had started to crowd the balcony. It was large enough to fit at least thirty people comfortably.

They stood and looked over the horizon towards the beach where the fireworks were going to be held. Everyone started counting down from ten at ten seconds before midnight, and Naruto stood close to Sasuke. Sasuke responded by wrapped a possessive arm around Naruto's waist. At exactly midnight, the fireworks started just as the shout of "Happy New Year!" echoed from the hotel. Naruto turned to Sasuke and kissed him chastely on the lips.

"Happy New Year, bastard," he murmured affectionately. Sasuke smiled at him, never failing in taking Naruto's breath away.

"Happy New Year, idiot."

"You know, they say that what you do during New Years is what you're going to be doing for the rest of the year." Sasuke snorted. Naruto wrapped an arm around Sasuke's shoulders and pulled him close. "Guess that means you're stuck with me all year?"

"We'll see," Sasuke said, a slight teasing tone to his voice. Naruto smirked; he'd sooner jump off a cliff than let Sasuke out of his sight.

The impromptu party lasted for another two hours before the last straggler left with a call from a cab. The original guests stayed to clean up a little and left, leaving Naruto and Sasuke alone. Naruto was tired from all the excitement, but he wanted to be more intimate with Sasuke. Apparently, Sasuke had the same idea. Naruto made love to Sasuke slowly and deliberately, filling the room with their soft moans and cries until the sun was just about to rise. Naruto reminded himself not to say how he felt, and as he listened to Sasuke's breath even, he allowed himself to whisper very quietly before falling asleep,

"I love you, Sasuke. I wish you would hurry up and love me back."

* * *

><p>The new semester started uneventfully. Naruto didn't have Kakashi's class anymore but he still visited the older man between classes. Sasuke was usually there or working elsewhere. A trial was coming up so he knew that Kakashi and Sasuke would be busy, so Naruto tried to do his own work in the meantime. He hadn't seen Itachi since New Year's, but Itachi hardly came by to begin with. Sasuke didn't have to tutor Naruto anymore, but he sometimes offered to proof read Naruto's work when he could.<p>

Naruto was content with the way things were headed with him and Sasuke. Their relationship was stable, and although they argued sometimes, he considered them to be a good match. Sasuke was the more stubborn one, but he indulged Naruto a few times. He was prideful and arrogant, but Naruto didn't mind those qualities except when he was being annoyingly haughty or snotty. Naruto liked the fact that Sasuke had strong opinions and they often debated about one thing over another, which usually led to their heated arguments, and even though they both had good points, Naruto liked to let Sasuke win.

Since he hadn't seen the Uchiha for a couple days, Naruto called to see if he could come over. When Sasuke didn't answer, he left a voicemail and decided he'd just show up to Sasuke's apartment anyway. Once Sasuke started getting busy during the beginning of the semester, he gave Naruto a key to his place, explaining logically that it would be more efficient or other. Naruto had noticed the blush on the other man's pale skin, and his heart swelled at the prospect of their budding relationship. He had given Sasuke his key also, and even though he'd love to just move in, Sasuke probably wouldn't be too happy about it.

"Maybe I could pretend that my building has safety violations and say that I need a place to stay," Naruto murmured to himself as he prepared to cook dinner to bring to Sasuke's place.

At a little before 9 pm Naruto tried calling Sasuke again, but he still didn't pick up. Perhaps he could just wait there for him and finish up some of his own work. Sasuke didn't usually work late away from his apartment but maybe Kakashi had needed to keep him back. Naruto arrived on Sasuke's floor and noticed that Sasuke's apartment door was slightly ajar. Suddenly getting the feeling that something was off, Naruto rushed inside.

The living room was a complete mess. There were papers littered all over the floor, and the coffee table was overturned. "Sasuke!" Naruto called, worry overwhelming him as he placed the food down on the kitchen counter and checked all the rooms. The other lights were off, and it didn't look like anyone had been in there. Naruto ran back and checked the door, noting that there weren't signs of breaking and entering. A streak of red caught his eye on the side of the door and Naruto started to panic.

_"Hi Naruto,"_ came Kakashi's weary voice over the phone, _"What can I do for you?"_

"When was the last time you saw Sasuke?" Naruto asked quickly, shaking as he paced just outside in the hallway. "Was he hurt at all?"

_"He left about three hours ago."_ Kakashi sounded more alert. _"What's wrong? He's hurt?"_

"Is Itachi with you? Can you guys come to Sasuke's place? It looks like there was a struggle and there's blood and I'm really afraid something happened." Naruto's heart was racing and a cold, clammy sort of feeling came over him. There were muffled voices on the other line and Itachi's urgent voice replaced Kakashi's.

_"Are you there at Sasuke's, Naruto? When did you last speak with him?"_

"Yesterday," Naruto replied, "He was busy. I tried calling him like thirty minutes ago but he didn't pick up."

_"Call the police and don't move. Kakashi and I are on our way."_ As soon as the line went dead, Naruto called Sasuke, and heard the ringing coming from inside the apartment. He found the device on the floor in the living room. Hanging up, he saw that Sasuke had twelve missed calls. Naruto picked it up and looked at the list of missed calls. Three were from Naruto, and the rest were from _Dad_. There were also nine voicemails, possibly all from Sasuke's father. Naruto took his phone and quickly called the authorities.

In five minutes, several policemen showed up. Naruto explained what he had seen and let them investigate. After about ten minutes, Kakashi and Itachi arrived. Kakashi looked tired and Itachi looked extremely worried and disheveled.

"Is his car here?" Itachi asked. Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. It looks normal. Police are checking that out as well." Naruto handed Itachi Sasuke's phone. "It looks like your dad tried reaching him, too." Itachi quickly took it and studied Sasuke's recent calls. He took out his own phone and moved away from them to talk in private. Kakashi placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"How are you doing?" Kakashi asked solemnly. Naruto swallowed thickly.

"Not sure. I can't think of anywhere Sasuke could be right now. Did he say anything to you?"

"No. He said he was leaving because he needed to 'take care of his fox.'" Kakashi smiled. "I had no idea what he meant and didn't want to ask. He was working really hard to get things done quickly, and I'd never seen him like that until recently." Naruto felt his eyes and cheeks burn at the same time. Kakashi gave him a small, knowing smile. "I assume you're the fox?"

"He said that?" Naruto murmured, feeling both happy and more miserable at the same time. Two officers, a man and a woman, approached them.

"Looks like there were signs of a struggle," the man said. "The blood will need to be analyzed, but it's most likely the victim's. We'll need to get a statement from you, Uzumaki-san. Is this your friend?" He gestured to Kakashi, who nodded.

"I'm a professor at the university and Sasuke works in my small law firm. My name is Hatake Kakashi. If I'm not mistaken, I'm probably the last person to have seem him. He was with myself and two other people."

"What time was this?"

"About 6:30 tonight when he left."

"And he said he was going home?"

"Yes."

"Did he look worried for his safety at all?" the female office asked. "Anything different than usual?" Kakashi shook his head.

"Not at all. I don't suspect he was concerned about his safety or anything."

"I see. We may contact you again Hatake-san. Uzumaki-san, if you would please come with us."

Naruto nodded and grabbed his bag, following the officers out. They passed Itachi along the way but he didn't seem to notice them. The look of distress and anger on his face was enough to deter Naruto from alerting him of his departure. He followed the officers to the station, and after about an hour of questioning they let him go. Naruto figured he might be a suspect, but without much evidence, the officers couldn't keep him despite their thorough questioning. On his way to his apartment, he received a text from Kakashi, telling him to come over to his place when he had the chance.

When he showed up at close to midnight, a grave looking Kakashi let him inside. Naruto was tired but his body was running on adrenaline. Sasuke was officially missing and possibly wounded. Naruto didn't know what he'd do if Sasuke was gone, if someone had….

"Where's Itachi?" the blonde asked curiously. Kakashi gave him a cup of tea and gestured for him to sit. Naruto did so, glad to have some warm tea in his system.

"He's speaking with his father. Are you aware of a case Fugaku recently had? It is quite famous."

"Yeah, he was defending someone who was tried as a yakuza leader," Naruto replied. "What does this have to do with Sasuke?"

"The verdict was released this afternoon. Apparently, Fugaku and the others lost."

"I see," Naruto's blood ran cold as he realized the implications of what Kakashi was trying to tell him. "But Sasuke?"

"Fugaku had every reason to be worried and call Sasuke all those times. Apparently, family members of other lawyers on the defense team are missing as well." Kakashi sighed and shook his head. "We fear the worst. Itachi is trying to find as much information as he can."

"So Sasuke was kidnapped because of that?" Naruto cried, standing quickly. "Oh shit…." Naruto didn't know what to do, and he started pacing as he took his phone and pressed the speed dial code for his dad's number. His dad was probably sleeping, but he needed advice. He could feel his hot tears running down his cheeks when his dad finally picked up.

"Hey, Naruto. What's up?" asked Minato in a low, groggy voice. Naruto felt himself unhinge.

"Dad, Sasuke's been kidnapped and it might be by the yakuza his dad was defending," Naruto explained quickly. "I don't know what to do and I'm scared that Sasuke's probably dead. Please, dad. I need him."

_"Don't worry, Naruto. I'll do what I can,"_ Minato said, his voice soothing and calming his son. _"I've been following that trial and it's likely that Sasuke was indeed taken by that same organization. I don't think he will be harmed because they still need Fugaku. Our best bet will be to speak with him and figure out what they want. But listen carefully, Naruto,"_ Minato's voice became stern and somber, _"Under no circumstances are you to become involved with finding Sasuke. It's extremely dangerous and you could get hurt. Your mother and I will be devastated if anything happened to you. You cannot disobey me on this. I know you care for him but leave this to the authorities."_

Naruto inhaled deeply. His dad's words struck a cord in him. He knew he didn't want either of his parents to be sad, but they needed to understand Naruto's position on this. Naruto knew that his mom would empathize with him, even though she would adamantly agree with her husband concerning Naruto's lack on involvement with the situation. There wasn't much Naruto could even do, but he did have an idea. He was bad at lying, but over the phone, his dad wouldn't be able to detect it.

"I understand, dad. It'd be a lot different if Sasuke and I were mated, but we're not," Naruto said sadly. "Thanks for listening. I'll let you know if anything comes up."

_"I love you, son."_

"Love you too, dad." Naruto sighed and hung up. He glanced at Kakashi, who was staring off thoughtfully. He hoped that the older man could come up with something before it was too late.

"I'm concerned about Itachi," Kakashi said after a while, turning his gaze towards Naruto. Naruto nodded in agreement. "Itachi cares about him very much. Everyone knows that his little brother comes first in his life. I wouldn't doubt that he's brewing something up with his father. The Uchiha's know some very interesting people. Unfortunately, Kato's group is one of the most powerful." Kakashi stood and patted Naruto on the shoulder. "Sorry for bringing you here so late, but I wanted to give you some information. You should get some rest."

"No, I can't," Naruto said, shaking his head. "I've got one class tomorrow but after that, I'm helping Itachi." Kakashi squeezed his shoulder, his expression turning grave.

"You really shouldn't, Naruto. It's a dangerous world. Itachi's family is very old and has many ties with different kinds of people. I can't imagine your family being mixed up in that kind of stuff, much less yourself. I feel a responsibility towards you. I don't want your father to worry for your safety."

Naruto looked up at Kakashi, a smile spreading across his face. "Thank you."

As soon as Naruto got home, at about half past midnight, he turned on his laptop and searched through his files for contacts he kept, but hoped he'd never use. Some were of old friends and acquaintances, and others, of family Naruto had never spoken to. The last time Naruto mingled with his mother's side was when he was just a child, possibly five years old. He didn't have much memory of them, and that was because his mom didn't want them to try and corrupt her husband. Apparently, Minato had taken a risk by marrying an Uzumaki, especially since he was a noted public figure who worked for the law. Like the Uchiha, the Uzumaki family had deep roots as well.

Finally accessing his password protected file, he scrolled until he found a particular name. He vaguely wondered if the number still worked, but it was worth a try. Naruto had found this information by chance while he was in his father's study. His mom kept some stuff in there, and she probably didn't know she still had contact information from her side of the family. Naruto didn't know why he kept it; he just did. He was always curious about his maternal side, but Kushina would nip the conversation in the bud, forcing Naruto to do his own investigative work.

Naruto nervously took his phone and dialed the number for Uzumaki Kyuubi, Kushina's younger, lawless brother and Naruto's faceless uncle.

* * *

><p>After class, through which Naruto could barely concentrate, he sprinted towards his car and typed in an address on his GPS. The conversation had been brief last night with his uncle. The man had told him to meet at a place almost three hours away northeast of where Naruto was. He was in an area close to their hometown, but farther north. Naruto had told him of his situation, and he was surprised to find that Kyuubi had offered to help. The man had a deep tenor to his voice, but otherwise seemed harmless. Before Naruto could even mention it, the other man had beaten him to the punch, saying, "Don't worry. I won't tell my sister."<p>

At about six, Naruto pulled up to a warehouse by a harbor. The city looked shady as all hell, but it was just on the outskirts of Konoha, which was a ghetto area. The harbor wasn't used much and looked abandoned except for some ships and boats docked there. Local fisherman who made an honest living came through here, however, the warehouses looked more like meth labs than anything else. The authorities refused to touch it despite the fact that there were often reports about illegal activity occurring there.

Naruto got out of his car quietly and made his way to warehouse 5306. It was hardly dark out; the overhead lamps provided enough light along with that of the fading sun. He found a door and slipped inside, worrying for a second about his old Honda, not that there was anything to steal.

It was dark inside, and Naruto wondered if everything was just a trick until he saw a figure sitting in the middle of the warehouse. Dim, yellow lights suddenly came on, and Naruto realized that there was just more than one figure in the room. There were at least ten other men, possibly all armed, littered about the large, empty space. The figure sitting stood up and turned around, facing Naruto. Naruto nervously licked his lips as he stared at his uncle whom he'd never met. Kyuubi was tall and broad with muscles hidden beneath blue dress shirt and black slacks. His flaming red hair, like Kushina's, was straight and long, falling loosely midway down his torso. He smiled when he saw Naruto, revealing white teeth and a set of particularly long canines.

"Naruto! My cute little nephew. Come here!" He opened his arms invitingly, and Naruto gave him a hug, not wanting to be killed because he didn't. Kyuubi smelled nice, a hint of pine and a musky darkness that was natural to him. Naruto realized that he was in the room with another Uzumaki like himself who had the same curse. Kyuubi held him back at arm's length and surveyed him. "Hmm, you look just like that do-gooder Namikaze, but if you're here, then you probably take after more of my sister in personality. How are they, by the way?"

"They're doing well," Naruto said, feeling more at ease with Kyuubi's easy going nature. "It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry for calling you all of a sudden. We've never met but I didn't know what else to do."

"I owe Kushina and her mate a big favor, so I will consider this a return of that favor. Although I haven't seen her since her wedding, she's very dear to me, as is any brat of hers. You're family. Now let's move someplace more comfortable to talk."

Naruto was forced to leave him car there and ride with Kyuubi to his home. It was a nice house, apparently one of many in case he needed to flee. Most of his entourage left, but some lingered in the area. They lived in a suburb that was on the nicer side of the city. Naruto couldn't imagine anything gang related would happen here, but he didn't think that of the Uchiha mansion, either.

The house smelled exactly as Kyuubi did, except Naruto could make out one other person in the room. Kyuubi introduced him to his mate, a pretty woman with brown hair and brown eyes. She was making dinner and happily invited Naruto to their table. After dinner, Kyuubi took Naruto into his office.

"Now then, what exactly can I help you with, nephew?"

"My friend, um, that is, possibly my mate," Naruto said, blushing, "was abducted by Kato's gang. Kato was tried and sentenced to jail. My friend's dad was part of his defense team."

"I see. Who is this friend, possibly mate, of yours?"

"Uchiha Sasuke." The frown on Kyuubi's face was immediate, and Naruto was suddenly worried that he wouldn't want to help him anymore. "He's very important to me and I need to find him," Naruto added quickly. "I'll do anything to get him back!"

"Did my sister explain to you who they are to us, Naruto?" Kyuubi growled, his brown eyes narrow and vicious. "How did you get mixed up with _that_ kind? And you say he's 'possibly' your mate?"

"I know it sounds stupid," Naruto said desperately, "but I can't help it. He's just…. My chest has been feeling tight, and there's this voice in my head that won't let me rest or concentrate until I know that he's safe." Kyuubi looked at him thoughtfully, as if in understanding. "We haven't been bonded but it feels like I have. I need to get him back."

"Uchiha, you said?" Kyuubu murmured thoughtfully. Naruto nodded. Kyuubi grinned, showing his canines again. "Relation to Uchiha Itachi?"

"Y-yeah, his brother."

"Hmm. Things just became more interesting. I'm glad you found me, my cute nephew."

* * *

><p>Hmm, probably not the drama you were expecting, but I had to throw something in there! Thus, good ol' kidnapping!<p> 


End file.
